


i. 

V 




i ■' 
] 

X ■ 






THE "MACEDONIAN" RAKED BY THE "UNITED STATES 



NAVAL ACTIONS 



OF 



THE WAR OF I8l2 



7 

JAMES BARNES 

AUTHOR OF "FOR KING OR COUNTRY" 



WITH 21 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR 
BY CARLTON T. CHAPMAN 




^^0^%^ 






NEW YORK 

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

1896 
Q-.S.CL. 



Copyright, 1896, by Harper & Brothers. 



AU rights reserved. 



PREFACE 



The country that has no national heroes whose 
deeds should be found emblazoned on her annals, 
that can boast no men whose lives and conduct can 
be held up as examples of what loyalty, valor, and 
courage should be, that country has no patriotism, 
no heart, no soul. 

If it be wrong to tell of a glorious past, for fear of 
keeping alive an animosity that should have perished 
with time, there have been many offenders ; and the 
author of the following pages thus writes himself 
down as one of them. Truly, if pride in the past 
be a safeguard for the future in forming a national 
spirit, America should rejoice. 

There exists no Englishman to-day whose heart 
is not moved at the word " Trafalgar," or whose 
feelings are not stirred by the sentence " England 
expects every man to do his duty." The slight, one- 
armed figure of Admiral Nelson has been before the 
Briton's eyes as boy and man, surrounded always 
with the glamour that will never cease to enshroud 
a nation's hero. Has it kept alive a feeling of ani- 



VI PREFACE 

mosity against France to dwell on such a man as 
this, and to keep his deeds alive ? So it may be. 
But no Englishman would hide the cause in order 
to lose the supposed effect of it. 

In searching the history of our own country, when 
it stood together as a united nation, waging just war, 
we find England, our mother country, whose lan- 
guage we speak, arrayed against us. But, on ac- 
count of this bond of birth and language, should we 
cease to tell about the deeds of those men who freed 
us from her grasp and oppressions, and made us 
what we are? I trust not. May our navy glory in 
its record, no matter the consequences ! May our 
youth grow up with the lives of these men — our 
Yankee commanders — before them, and may they 
profit by their examples ! 

This should not inculcate a hatred for a former 
foe. It should only serve to build up that national 
esprit de corps without which no country ever stood 
up for its rights and willed to fight for them. May 
the sons of our new citizens, whose fathers have 
served kings, perhaps, and come from other coun- 
tries, grow up with a pride in America's own na- 
tional history! How can this be given them unless 
they read of it in books or gain it from teaching .? 

But it is not the intention to instruct that has 
caused the author to compile and collate the ma- 
terial used in the following pages. He has been 
influenced by his own feelings, that are shared by 
the many thousands of the descendants of " the men 



PREFACE Vll 

who fought." It has been his pleasure, and this 
alone is his excuse. 

Mr. Carlton T. Chapman, whose spirited paint- 
ings are reproduced to illustrate this volume, has 
caught the atmosphere of action, and has given us 
back the old days in a way that makes us feel them. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Introduction i 

I 

The United States frigate Co7istitutton, on July 17th, 1812, falls 
in with a British squadron, but escapes, owing to the 
masterly seamanship of Captain Isaac Hull 23 

II 

The Constitution, under command of Captain Hull, captures 
the British frigate Gtierriere, under command of Captain 
Richard Dacres, August 19th, 1812 35 

III 

The United States sloop of war Wasp, Captain Jacob Jones, 
captures the English sloop of war Frolic, October i8th, 
181 2 ; both vessels taken on the same day by the English 
seventy-four Poictiers 47 

IV 

October 25th, 1812, the British frigate Macedonian, command- 
ed by John S. Carden, is captured by the United States 
frigate, under coro.mand of Stephen Decatur ; the prize 
is brought to port 59 



Captain Wm, Bainbridge, in the Constitution, captures the 
British frigate Java off the coast of Brazil, December 
29th, 1 81 2; the yaz/^ is set fire to and blows up. ... 73 



X CONTENTS 

VI 

PAGE 

Gallant action of the privateer schooner Comet, of 14 guns, 
against three English vessels and one Portuguese, Janu- 
ary 14th, 1813 91 

VII 

The United States sloop of war Hornet, Captain James Law- 
rence, takes the British brig Peacock ; the latter sinks 
after the action, February 24th, 1 813 103 

VIII 

The United States frigate Chesapeake is captured by the Eng- 
lish frigate Shannoti after a gallant defence, June ist, 
1813 113 

IX 

The United States brig Enterprise, commanded by William 
Burrows, captures H. B. M. sloop of war Boxer, Septem- 
ber 5th, 1813; Burrows killed during the action . . . 129 

X 

On September loth, 1813, the American fleet on Lake Erie, 
under the command of Oliver Hazard Perry, captures 
the entire English naval force under Commodore Bar- 
day 139 

XI 

The American privateer brig General Armstrong, of 9 guns 
and 90 men, repulses a boat attack in the harbor of 
Fayal, the British suffering a terrific loss, September 
27th, 1813 159 

XII 

March 28th, 18 14, the United States frigate Essex, under Cap- 
tain David Porter, is captured by two English vessels, 
the Phcebe and the Cherub, in the harbor of Valparaiso . 171 



CONTENTS XI 

XIII 

PAGE 

The United States sloop of war Peacock, commanded by Cap- 
tain Warrington, takes the British sloop of war L'Eper- 
w'(?r on April 29th, 1 8 14 191 

XIV 

The United States sloop of war Wasp, under command of Cap- 
tain Blakeley, captures the British sloop of war Reindeer, 
June 28th, 1814. The Wasp engages the British sloop 
of v^a.r Avon on the ist of September; the English vessel 
sinks after the Wasp is driven off by a superior force . 199 

XV 

September nth, the American forces on Lake Champlain, un- 
der Captain Macdonough, capture the English squadron, 
under Captain Downey, causing the evacuation of New 
York State by the British 209 

XVI 

The United States frigate President, under command of Cap- 
tain Decatur, is taken by a British squadron after a long 
chase, during which the President completely disabled 
one of her amtagonists, January 15th, 181 5 219 

XVII 

February 20th, 181 5, the Constitiiiion, under Captain Stewart, 
engages and captures two English vessels that prove to 
be the Cyane and the Levant ; one of her prizes is retaken, 
and the Constitution again has a narrow escape .... 231 

XVIII 

The British brig of war Pe7tguin surrenders to the United 
States brig Hornet, commanded by Captain James Bid- 
die ; the Penguin sinks immediately after the accident, 
March 23d, 1815 245 

XIX 
The chase of the Hornet, sloop of war, by the Cornwallis, a 

British line-of-battle ship 255 



/ ^^'^ 



TO 
MY FATHER 

■WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT AND ASSISTANCE ARE HEREBY 

ACKNOWLEDGED WITH AFFECTIONATE GRATITUDE 

I HAVE THE HONOR TO DEDICATE 

THIS BOOK 



\ 



/ 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



THE "MACEDONIAN" RAKED BY THE "UNITED 

STATES " Frontispiece 

MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN ISAAC 

HULL Facing p. 22 

THE " CONSTITUTION " TOWING AND KEDGING . . " 26 

THE SURRENDER OF THE "GUERRIERE" " 42 

THE "WASP" RAKING THE "FROLIC" " 50 

MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

STEPHEN DECATUR " 58 

THE "MACEDONIAN" CROSSING THE BOWS OF THE 

"UNITED STATES" " 62 

MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN WILL- 
IAM BAINBRIDGE " 72 

THE "CONSTITUTION" BEGINNING THE ACTION. . " 82 

THE "COMET" PASSING THE ENGLISH VESSELS . . " 94 

MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

JAMES LAWRENCE " 102 

THE "PEACOCK" AND "HORNET" AT CLOSE QUAR- 
TERS " 106 

THE "CHESAPEAKE" LEAVING THE HARBOR ... " I16 

MEMORIAL MEDAL IN HONOR OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM 

BURROWS " 128 



xiv ILLUSTRATIONS 

"■ MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO LIEUTENANT 

EDWARD R. McCALL Facing p. 1 28 

THE "ENTERPRISE" HULLING THE "BOXER". . . « 132 
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

OLIVER HAZARD PERRY «' 138 

THE "NIAGARA" BREAKS THE ENGLISH LINE. . . " 148 
THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" REPELS THE ENGLISH 

BOATS " 164 

THE "ESSEX" BEING CUT TO PIECES " 184 

MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

LEWIS WARRINGTON " j^q 

THE "PEACOCK" CAPTURES THE "EPERVIER" . . " 192 
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

JOHNSTON BLAKELEY " 198 

THE "WASP" TAKING THE "REINDEER" .... " 200 

THE "WASP'S" FIGHT WITH THE "AVON". ... " 204 
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

THOMAS MACDONOUGH " 2o8 

THE PLIGHT OF THE ENGLISH FLAGSHIP .... " 214 

THE "PRESIDENT" ENDEAVORING TO ESCAPE . . " 222 
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

CHARLES STEWART " 230 

THE "CONSTITUTION" TAKING THE "CYANE" . . " 236 
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN 

JAMES BIDDLE " 244 

THE "PENGUIN" STRIKES TO THE "HORNET" . . " 252 

THE "CORNWALLIS" GAINING ON THE "HORNET" " 260 



INTRODUCTION 



To study the condition of affairs that led up to 
the declaration of the second war against Great 
Britain we have but to turn to the sea. Althous^h 
England, it must be confessed, had plenty of fight- 
ing on her hands and troubles enough at home, she 
had not forgotten the chagrin and disappointments 
caused by the loss of the American colonies through 
a mistaken enforcement of high-handedness. And 
it was this same tendency that brought to her 
vaunted and successful navy as great an overthrow 
as their arms had received on land some thirty-seven 
years previously. 

The impressment of American seamen into the 
English service had been continued despite remon- 
strances from our government, until the hatred for 
the sight of the cross of St. George that stirred the 
hearts of Yankee sailormen had passed all bounds. 
America under these conditions developed a type of 
patriot seafarer, and this fact may account for his 
manners under fire and his courage in all circum- 
stances. 

The United States was an outboard country, so 



2 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

to speak. We had no great interstate traffic, no 
huge, developed West to draw upon, to exchange 
and barter with. Our people thronged the sea-coast, 
and vessels made of American pine and live-oak 
were manned by American men. They had sought 
their calling by choice, and not by compulsion. 
They had not been driven from crowded cities be- 
cause they could not live there. They had not been 
taken from peaceful homes and wives and children 
by press-gangs, as was the English custom, to slave 
on board the great vessels that Great Britain kept 
afloat by such means, and such alone. But of his 
own free-will the Yankee sailor sought the sea, and of 
his own free-will he served his country. It would be 
useless to deny that the greater liberty, the higher 
pay, the large chance for reward, tempted many for- 
eigners and many ex-servants of the king to cast 
their lot with us. But when we think that there 
were kept unwillingly on English vessels of war al- 
most as many American seamen as were giving vol- 
untary service to their country in our little navy, we 
can see on which side the great proportion lies. 

It is easy to see that the American mind was a 
pent furnace. It only needed a few more evidences 
of England's injustice and contempt to make the 
press and public speech roar with hatred and cry 
out for revenge. So when in June, 1812, war was 
declared against Great Britain, it was hailed with 
approbation and delight. But shots had been ex- 
changed before this, and there were men who knew 



INTRODUCTION 3 

the value of seamanship, recognized the fact that 
every shot must tell, that every man must be ready, 
and that to the navy the country looked; for the 
idea of a great invasion by England was scouted. It 
was a war for the rights of sailors, the freedom of 
the high-seas, and the grand and never thread-worn 
principles of liberty ^^-^"a "' 

So wide -spread had been the patriotism of our 
citizens during the revolutionary war that our only 
frigates, except those made up of aged merchant- 
vessels, had been built by private subscription ; but 
now the government was awake, alert, and able. 

To take just a glance at the condition of affairs 
that led up to this is of great interest. 

So far back as the year 1798 the impositions of 
Great Britain upon our merchantmen are on record, 
and on November i6th of that year they culminated 
in a deliberate outrage and insult to our flag. 

The U. S. ship of war Baltimore, of 20 guns, was 
overhauled by a British squadron, and five Amer- 
ican seamen were impressed from the crew. At this 
time we were engaged in the quasi-war with France, 
during which the Constellation, under Captain Trux- 
ton, captured the French frigate V Insurgent, of 
54 guns. On February ist, 1800, a year after the 
first action, the same vessel, under the same com- 
mander, captured La Vengeance, of 54 guns. On 
October 12th of the same year the U S. frigate 
Boston captured the French corvette Le Berceau. 
Minor actions between the French privateers and 



4 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

our merchantmen occurred constantly. We lost but 
one of our national vessels, however — the schooner 
Retaliation, captured by two French frigates. 

England was protecting the Barbary pirates in 
the Mediterranean at this time, in order to keep out 
competitive commerce — ■ a fine bit of business ! 
Europe and America bought immunity. 

On June loth, 1 80 1, war was declared, however, by 
the Bashaw of Tripoli against the United States, 
because we failed to accede to his demands for 
larger tribute, and a brief summary of the conduct of 
this war will show plainly that here our ofificers had 
chances to distinguish themselves, and the American 
seamen won distinction in foreign waters. 

Captain Bainbridge, in command of the frigate 
Philadelphia, late in August, 1803, captured off the 
Cape de Gatt a Moorish cruiser, and retook her 
prize, an American brig. About two months later 
the Philadelphia, in chase of one of the corsairs, ran 
on a reef of rocks under the guns of a battery, and 
after four hours' action Bainbridge was compelled 
to strike his flag to the Tripolitans. For months, 
now, it was the single aim of the American squad- 
ron under Preble to destroy the Philadelphia, in 
order to prevent her being used against the United 
States, and on February 15th, 1804, this was success- 
fully accomplished by Lieutenant Stephen Decatur 
and seventy volunteers, who entered the harbor on 
the ketch hitrepid, set fire to the Philadelphia, and 
escaped. 



INTRODUCTION 5 

All through August Preble's squadron hovered 
about the harbor of Tripoli, and bombarded the 
town on four separate occasions. On June 3d, 
1805, he arranged a peace with the Tripolitans, and 
two days later Bainbridge and the American pris- 
oners were liberated. But the bashaw could not 
control the piratical cruisers who made his harbor a 
rendezvous, and in September hostilities were again 
commenced, during which occurred the sad acci- 
dent, the premature blowing up of the fire ship In- 
trepid, by which the navy lost Captain Richard 
Somers, one of its bravest officers, two lieutenants, 
and ten seamen. 

But to return to the relations existing between 
America and England. A crisis was fast approach- 
ing. Off the shore of Maryland on June 2 2d, 1S07, 
the crowning outrage attending England's self- 
assumed " right of search " took place, when the 
British sloop of war Leopard, 50 guns, fired upon the 
Chesapeake, 36 guns, which vessel, under command 
of Captain Barron, had just shipped a green crew, 
and could return, owing to her unprepared con- 
dition, but one shot to the Englishman's broadside. 
Barron hauled down his flag, and had to allow 
himself to be searched by the orders of Captain 
Humphries, commander of the Leopard, and four 
American-born seamen were taken out of his crew 
and sent on board the Englishman. It was claimed 
by Captain Humphries that three of these men were 
deserters from the British frigate Melampus. Al- 



6 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

though the Chesapeake had hauled down her flag 
and surrendered, the Leopard paid no attention to 
this, and sailed away, leaving Barron with three men 
killed and eighteen wounded, and his ship badly 
damaged in hull, spars, and rigging. Barron was 
censured by a court of inquiry and suspended from 
his command. Looking at this sentence dispas- 
sionately, it was most unjust. 

But the indignation that was felt throughout the 
country over this affair wrought the temper of the 
people to a fever-heat. Congress passed resolutions, 
and the President of the United States issued a 
proclamation, forbidding all British armed vessels 
from entering the ports of the United States, and 
prohibiting all inhabitants of the United States 
from furnishing them with supplies of any descrip- 
tion. 

Great Britain's disavowal of the act of Admiral 
Berkeley (under whose command Captain Hum- 
phries had acted) was lukewarm, and the Admiral's 
trial was something of a farce, and gave little satis- 
faction to America. 

Napoleon at about this time had begun his sense- 
less closing of French ports to American vessels, 
and once more the French cruisers apparently con- 
sidered all Yankee craft their proper prey. They 
would interrupt and take from them stores, water, 
or whatever they considered necessary, without re- 
muneration or apology. As the English were taking 
our seamen and showing absolute contempt for our 



INTRODUCTION 7 

flag wherever found, the condition of our merchant 
marine was most precarious. No vessel felt secure 
upon the high seas, and yet the English merchant 
ships continued to ply their trade with us. 

On May ist, 1810, all French and English vessels 
of any description were prohibited from entering 
the ports of the United States. On June 24th of 
this year the British sloop of war Moselle fired at the 
U. S. brig Vixen, off the Bahamas, but fortunately 
did no damage. Another blow to American com- 
merce just at this period was the closing of the ports 
of Prussia to American products and ships. But an 
event which took place on May i6th, 181 1, had an 
unexpected termination that turned all eyes to Eng- 
land. The British frigate Guerriere was one of a 
fleet of English vessels hanging about our coasts, 
and cruising mainly along the New Jersey and Long 
Island shores. Commodore Rodgers was proceed- 
ing from Annapolis to New York in the President, 
44 guns, when the news was brought to him by a 
coasting vessel that a young man, a native of New 
Jersey, had been taken from an American brig in 
the vicinity of Sandy Hook, and had been carried 
off by a frigate supposed to be the Guerriere. On 
the 1 6th, about noon, Rodgers discovered a sail 
standinsf towards him. She was made out to be a 
man-of-war, and concluding that she was the Giier- 
riere, the commodore resolved to speak to her, and, 
to quote from a contemporary, " he hoped he might 
prevail upon her commander to release the im- 



8 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

pressed young man " (what arguments he intended 
to use are not stated). But no sooner had the 
stranger perceived the Preside7it, whose colors were 
flying, than she wore and stood to the southward. 
Rodgers took after her, and by evening was close 
enough to make out that she was beyond all doubt 
an English ship. But owing to the dusk and thick 
weather it was impossible to count her broadside, or 
to make out distinctly what was the character of the 
flag that at this late hour she had hoisted at her 
peak. So he determined to lay his vessel alongside 
of her within speaking distance, and find out some- 
thing definite. The strange sail apparently wished 
to avoid this if possible, and tacked and manoeuvred 
incessantly in efforts to escape. At twenty minutes 
past eight the President, being a little forward of 
the weather beam of the chase, and within a hun- 
dred yards of her, Rodgers called through his trum- 
pet with the usual hail, " What ship is that ?" No 
answer was given, but the question was repeated 
from the other vessel in turn. Rodgers did not an- 
swer, and hailed again. To his intense surprise a 
shot was fired into the President, and this was the 
only response. A great deal of controversy resulted 
from the subsequent happenings. The English 
deny having fired the first gun, and assert that 
Rodgers was the offender, as a gun was discharged 
(without orders) from the American vessel almost at 
the same moment. Now a brisk action commenced 
with broadsides and musketry. But the commo- 



INTRODUCTION 9 

dore, noticing that he was having to deal with a 
very inferior force, ceased firing, after about ten 
minutes of exchanging shots. He was premature 
in this, however, as the other vessel immediately re- 
newed her fire, and the foremast of the President 
was badly injured by two thirty-two-pound shot. By 
this time the wind had blown up fresh, and there 
was a heavy sea; but notwithstanding this fact and 
the growing darkness, a well-directed broadside from 
the President silenced the other's fire completely. 
Rodgers approached again, and to his hail this time 
there was given some reply. Owing to his being to 
windward, he did not catch the words, although he 
understood from them that his antagonist was a 
British ship. All night long Rodgers lay hove to 
under the lee of the stranger, displaying lights, and 
ready at any moment to respond to any call for as- 
sistance, as it had been perceived that the smaller 
vessel was badly crippled. 

At daylight the Presideiit bore down to within 
speaking distance and an easy sail, and Rodgers sent 
out his first cutter, under command of Lieutenant 
Creighton, to learn the name of the ship and her 
commander, and with instructions to ascertain what 
damage she had received, and to "regret the neces- 
sity which had led to such an unhappy result." 
Lieutenant CreiQ:hton returned with the informa- 
tion that the British captain declined accepting any 
assistance, and that the vessel was His Britannic 
Majesty's sloop of w^r Little Belt, iS guns. She had 



10 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

nine men killed and twenty-two wounded. No one 
was killed on board the President, and only a cabin- 
boy had been wounded in the arm by a splinter. 

The account given to his government by Captain 
Bingham, of the Little Belt, gives the lie direct to 
the sworn statement of the affair, confirmed by all 
the officers and crew of the President, an account, 
by-the-way, that after a long and minute investigation 
was sustained by the American courts. It was now 
past doubting that open war would shortly follow 
between this country and England. Preparations 
immediately began in every large city to outfit pri- 
vateers, and the navy-yards rang with hammers, and 
the recruiting ofiicers were besieged by hordes of 
sailormen anxious to serve a gun and seek revenge. 

Owing to circumstances, the year of 1812, that 
gave the name to the war of the next three years, 
found the country in a peculiar condition. Under 
the "gunboat system " of Mr. Jefferson, who believed 
in harbor protection, and trusted to escape war, an 
act had been passed in 1805 which almost threat- 
ened annihilation of a practical navy. The construc- 
tion of twenty-five gunboats authorized by this bill 
had been followed, from time to time, by the build- 
ino: of more of them under the mistaken idea that 
this policy was a national safeguard. They would 
have been of srreat use as a branch of coast fortifica- 
tion at that time, it may be true, but they were abso- 
lutely of no account in the prosecution of a war at 
sea. Up to the year 181 1 in the neighborhood of 



INTRODUCTION II 

two hundred of these miserable vessels had been con- 
structed, and they lay about the harbors in various 
conditions of uselessness. 

From an official statement it appears that there 
were but three first-class frigates in our navy, and 
that but five vessels of any description were in con- 
dition to go to sea. They were the President, 44 
guns ; the United States, 44 guns ; the Constitution, 
44 guns; the Essex, 32 guns; and the Congress, 36 
guns. All of our sea-going craft taken together were 
but ten in number, and seven of these were of the 
second class and of inferior armament. There was 
not a single ship that did not need extensive repairs, 
and two of the smaller frigates, the New York and 
the Bosto7i, were condemned upon examination. The 
navy was in a deplorable state, and no money forth- 
coming. 

But the session of Congress known as the " war 
session" altered this state of affairs, and in the act 
of March 13th, 181 2, we find the repudiation of the 
gunboat policy, and the ridiculous error advanced, 
to our shame be it said, by some members of Con- 
gress, that " in creating a navy we are only building 
ships for Great Britain," was cast aside. Not only 
did the act provide for putting the frigates into com- 
mission and preparing them for actual service, but 
two hundred thousand dollars per annum was ap- 
propriated for three years for ship timber. The 
gunboats were laid up "for the good of the public 
service," and disappeared. Up to this period all the 



12 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

acts of Congress in favor of the navy had been but 
to make hasty preparations of a few vessels of war 
to meet the pressure of some emergency, but no per- 
manent footing had been estabhshed. The conduct 
and the result of the war with Tripoli had not been 
such as to make the American navy popular, despite 
the individual brave deeds that had taken place 
and the respect for the flag that had been enforced 
abroad. But the formation of a "naval committee " 
was a step in the right direction. There was a crisis 
to be met, the country was awake to the necessity, 
and the feelings of patriotism had aroused the author- 
ities to a pitch of action. Many men, the ablest in 
the country, were forced into public life from their 
retirement, and a combination was presented in the 
House of Representatives and in the Senate that 
promised well for the conduct of affairs. The Re- 
publican party saw that there was no more sense 
in the system of restriction, and that the only 
way to redress the wrongs of our sailors was by 
war. 

Langdon Cheves was appointed chairman of this 
Committee of Naval Affairs of the Twelfth Congress, 
and took hold of the work assigned to him with en- 
ergy and judgment. There was some slight oppo- 
sition given b}'' people who doubted our power and 
resources to wage war successfully against Great Brit- 
ain, but this opposition was overwhelmed completely 
at the outset. The report of the naval committee 
shows that the naval establishments of other coun- 



INTRODUCTION I3 

tries had been carefully looked into, and experienced 
and intelligent officers had been called upon for as- 
sistance; that the needs and resources of the coun- 
try had been accurately determined, and the result 
was that the committee expressed the opinion " that 
it was the true policy of the United States to build tip 
a navy establishment as the cheapest^ tJie safest, and the 
best protection to their seacoast and to their commerce^ 
and that such an establish7nent was inseparably con- 
nected with the future prosperity, safety, and glory of 
the cotcntryi' 

The bill which was introduced and drafted by the 
committee recommended that the force to be cre- 
ated should consist of frigates and sloops of war to 
be built at once, and that those already in commis- 
sion be overhauled and refitted. To quote from the 
first bill for the increase of the navy, communicated 
to the House of Representatives September 17th, 
181 1 (which antedated the final act of March 13th, 
181 2), Mr. Cheves says for the committee : "We beg 
leave to recommend that all the vessels of war of the 
United States not now in service, which are worthy 
of repair, be immediately repaired, fitted out, and put 
into actual service ; that ten additional frigates, aver- 
aging 38 guns, be built; that a competent sum of 
money be appropriated for the purchase of a stock 
of timber, and that a dock for repairing the vessels 
of war of the United States be established in some 
central and convenient place." There was no dock 
in the country at this date, and vessels had to be 



14 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

"hove down" to repair their hulls — an expensive 
and lengthy process. 

A large number of experiments had also been 
made during this year in reference to the practi- 
cal use of the torpedo. They were conducted in 
the city and harbor of New York, under the super- 
vision of Oliver Walcott, John Kent, Cadwallader 
B. Golden, John Garnet, and Jonathan Williams. 
Suggestions were also made for the defence of 
vessels threatened by torpedo attack in much the 
same method that is employed to this date — by nets 
and booms. Mr. Golden says in a letter addressed 
to Paul Hamilton, Secretary of the Navy, in refer- 
ence to the experiments with Mr. Fulton's torpedoes, 
" I cannot but think that if the dread of torpedoes 
were to produce no other effect than to induce 
every hostile vessel of war which enters our ports 
to protect herself in a way in which the Argus (the 
vessel experimented with) was protected, torpedoes 
will be no inconsiderable auxiliaries in the defence 
of our harbors." Strange to say, a boom torpedo 
rigged to the end of a boom attached to the prow of 
a cutter propelled by oars was tried, and is to this 
day adopted in our service, in connection with fast 
steam-launches. All this tends to show the ad- 
vancing interest in naval warfare. Paul Hamilton 
suggested, in a letter dated December 3d, 181 1, that 
" a naval force of twelve sails of the line (74's) and 
twenty well - constructed frigates, including those 
already in commission, would be ample to protect 



INTRODUCTION 



15 



the coasting trade"; but there was no provision in 
the bill as finally accepted, and no authority given 
for the construction of any line of battle ships, al- 
though Mr. Cheves referred in his speech to the 
letter from Secretary Hamilton. Plans were also 
made this year to form a naval hospital, a much- 
needed institution. 

When war was declared by Congress against 
Great Britain, on June i8th, 181 2, and proclaimed 
by the President of the United States the following 
day, the number of vessels, exclusive of those pro- 
jected and building, was as follows : 



Consti'ititz'on . 
United States 
Preside7it . . 
Chesapeake . 
New York . 
Constellation 
Congress . . 
Boston . . . 
Essex . . . 
Adams. . . 



John Adams 



Wasp 



Rated 
44 

44 
44 
36 
36 
36 
36 
32 
32 
32 

26 



FRIGATES 

Mounting 
56 
56 
56 

44 
44 
44 
44 



CORVETTES 



SLOOPS OF WAR 
18 18 



Hornet i8 

Siren i6 

Argus 16 

Oneida i6 



18 



BRIGS 



Commanders 

Capt. Hull 
Capt. Decatur 
Com. Rodgers 
Capt. Evans 

Capt. Stewart 
Capt. Smith 

Capt. Porter 



Capt. Ludlow 



Capt. Jones 
Capt. Lawrence 

Capt. Carroll 
Capt. Crane 
Capt. Woolsey 



1 6 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 



SCHOONERS 




Rated 


Commanders 


Vixen 14 


Lieut. Gadsden 


Nautihis 14 


Lieut. Sinclair 


Enterprise .... 14 


Capt. Blakely 


Viper 10 


Capt. Bainbridge 


BOMB-KETCHES 




Vengeance 


A^tna 


Spitfire 


Vesuvius 



As we have stated before, the Boston, that was 
burned afterwards at Washington, never put to sea, 
and the Nezu York was a worthless hulk. 

The Constihttion, the United States, and the 
Constellation were built in the year 1797, the Con- 
stitution at Boston, the United States at Philadel- 
phia, and the Constellation at Baltimore. They had 
been built in the most complete manner, and it might 
be of interest to give some figures in connection with 
the construction of these vessels, thus forming an 
idea of how they compare with the tremendous and 
expensive fighting - machines of to-day. The first 
cost of the Constitution v^'d^'s $302,718. Her annual 
expenses when in commission were $100,000. Her 
pay-roll per month was in the neighborhood of 
$5000. There had been spent in repairs upon the 
Constitutio7i from October ist, 1802, to October ist, 
181 1, the sum of $302,582 — almost as much as her 
original cost, it is thus seen ; but upon the outbreak 
of the war only $5658 had to be spent upon her to 
fit her for sea. The first cost of a small vessel 



INTRODUCTION 1 7 

like the Wasp, carrying i8 guns, was $60,000; the 
annual expense in commission, $38,000. 

Although the Constihitioit was in such good 
shape, the Chesapeake and the Constellation were 
not seaworthy, and required $120,000 apiece to be 
expended on them before they would be consid- 
ered ready for service. 

An American 44-gun frigate carried about 400 
men. The pay appears ridiculously small, captains 
receiving but $100; masters -commandant, $75 a 
month; lieutenants' pay was raised from $40 to $60. 
Midshipmen drew $19, an ordinary seaman $10, 
and a private of marines but $6 a month. 

A 44-gun frigate was about 142 feet long, 38 feet 
8 inches in breadth, and drew from 17 to 23 feet 
of water, according to her loading. An i8-gun sloop 
of war was between no and 122 feet in length, and 
drew 15 feet of water. 

At the time of the declaration of war the ofiBcers 
holding captains' commissions were: Alexander Mur- 
ray, John Rodgers, James Barron (suspended), Will- 
iam Bainbridge, Hugh G.Campbell, Stephen Decatur, 
Thomas Tingey, Charles Stewart, Isaac Hull, Isaac 
Chauncey, John Shaw, John Smith — there was one 
vacancy. On the pay-rolls as masters-commandant 
we find David Porter, Samuel Evans, Jacob Jones, 
and James Lawrence. 

It is hard to imagine nowadays the amount of bit- 
terness, the extreme degree of hatred, that had grown 
up between America and Great Britain. Before the 



1 8 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

outbreak of hostilities, smarting under the defeats of 
'76 and the struggle of the following years, with few 
exceptions English officers burned to show their con- 
tempt for the service of the new country whose flag 
was being sent about the world. During the pres- 
ence of the American fleets under Preble and Bain- 
bridge in the Mediterranean, insults were frequent- 
ly forced upon them by the English. An anecdote 
which brings in one of our nation's heroes will show 
plainly to what extent this feeling existed. From an 
American vessel of war anchored at Malta a num- 
ber of the junior officers had obtained shore leave ; 
amons: them was a tall, handsome lad, the brother 
of the commander of the Philadelphia. Orders had 
been given for the young gentlemen to mind their 
own affairs, to keep close together, and to pay no at- 
tention to the treatment they might receive from the 
officers of the English regiments or navy. Owing 
to the custom then holding, the man who had not 
fought a duel or killed a man in "honorable" meet- 
ing was an exception, even in our service. There 
was no punishment for duelling in either the army 
or navy, even if one should kill a member of his 
own mess, so there may be some excuse for the 
disobedience, or, better, disregard, of the order given 
to the midshipmen before they landed. There was 
an English officer at Malta, a celebrated duellist, who 
stated to a number of his friends, when he was in- 
formed that the American young gentlemen had 
landed, that he would "bag one of the Yankees 



INTRODUCTION I9 

before ten the next morning." He ran across them 
in the lobby of a playhouse, and, rudely jostling the 
tallest and apparently the oldest, he was surprised 
at having his pardon begged, as if the fault had been 
the other's. So he repeated his offence, and em- 
phasized it by thrusting his elbow in "the Yankee's " 
face. 

This was too much. The tall midshipman whipped 
out his card, the Englishman did likewise. A few 
words and it was all arranged. " At nine the next 
morning, on the beach below the fortress." As he 
turned, the middy saw one of his senior lieutenants 
standing near him. He knew that it would be diffi- 
cult to get ashore in the morning, and he made up his 
mind that, as the chances were he would never return 
to his ship at all, he would not go back to her that 
night. But what was his dismay when the officer 
approached and ordered him and all of his party to 
repair on board their vessel. Of course the rest of 
the youngsters knew what had occurred, and they 
longed to see how their comrade would get out of 
the predicament. He had to be on shore! But as 
he sat in the stern-sheets the lieutenant, not so many 
years his senior, bent forward. "I shall go ashore 
with you at nine o'clock to-morrow, if you will allow 
me that honor," he said, quietly. Now this young 
officer was a hero with the lads in the steerage, and 
the middy's courage rose. 

At nine o'clock the next morning he stood in a 
sheltered little stretch of beach with a pistol in his 



20 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

hand, and at the word "Fire!" he shot the EneHsh 
bully through the heart. The midshipman's name 
was Joseph Bainbridge, a brother of the Bainbridge 
of Constitution fame, and his second upon this occa- 
sion was Stephen Decatur. 

This encounter was but one of many such that 
took place on foreign stations between American 
and English officers. The latter at last became more 
respectful of the Yankees' feelings, be it recorded. 

The following series of articles is not intended as 
a history of the navy, but as a mere account of the 
most prominent actions in which the vessels of the 
regular service participated. Two affairs in which 
American privateers took part are introduced, but of 
a truth the doings of Yankee privateersmen would 
make a history in themselves. 

It will be noticed that the names of several vessels 
occur frequently, and we can see how the Constitu- 
tion won for herself the proudest title ever given to a 
ship — " Old Ironsides " — and how the victories at sea 
united the American nation as one great family in 
rejoicing or in grief. To this day there will be found 
songs and watchwords in the forecastles of our steel 
cruisers that were started at this glorious period. 
" Remember the Essex P' " Don't give up the ship!" 
"May we die on deck!" are sayings that have been 
handed down, and let us hope that they will Hve 
forever. 



I 

THE THREE-DAYS CHASE OF THE "CONSTITUTION" 

[July 17th, i8th, 19th, 1812] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL 



^ 



IF during the naval war of 1812 any one man 
won laurels because he understood his ship, 
and thus triumphed over odds, that man was 
Captain Hull, and the ship was the old Constitution. 

Returning from a mission to Europe during the 
uncertain, feverish days that preceded the declara- 
tion of war between England and America, Hull 
had drawn into the Chesapeake to outfit for a cruise. 
He had experienced a number of exciting moments 
in European waters, for everything was in a turmoil 
and every sail suspicious — armed vessels approached 
one another like dogs who show their fangs. 

Although we were at peace, on more than one 
occasion Hull had called his men to quarters, fear- 
ing mischief. Once he did so in an English port, 
for he well remembered the affair of the Leopard 
and the Chesapeake. 

At Annapolis he shipped a new crew, and on 
July 12th he sailed around the capes and made out 
to sea. Five days later, when out of sight of land, 
sailing with a light breeze from the northeast, four 
sail were discovered to the north, heading to the 
westward. An hour later a fifth sail was seen to 
the northward and eastward. Before sunset it could 
be declared positively that the strangers were vessels 



24 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

of war, and without doubt English. The wind was 
fair for the nearest one to close, but before she came 
within three miles the breeze that had brous^ht her 
up died out, and after a calm that lasted but a few 
minutes the light wind came from the southward, 
giving the Constitutio7i the weather-gage. 

And now began a test of seamanship and sailing 
powers, the like of which has no equal in history for 
prolonged excitement. Captain Hull was almost 
alone in his opinion that the Constitution was a fast 
sailer. But it must be remembered, however, that a 
vessel's speed depends upon her handling, and with 
Isaac Hull on deck she had the best of it. 

All through the night, which was not dark, sig- 
nals and lights flashed from the vessels to leeward. 
The Constitutio7i, it is claimed by the English, was 
taken for one of their own ships. She herself had 
shown the private signal of the day, thinking per- 
haps that the vessel near to hand might be an 
American. 

Before daybreak three rockets arose from the 
ship astern of the Constitution, and at the same time 
she fired two guns. She was H. M. S. Guerriere, 
and, odd to relate, before long she was to strike her 
flag to the very frigate that was now so anxious to 
escape from her. Now, to the consternation of all, 
as daylight broadened, three sail were discovered on 
the starboard quarter and three more astern. Soon 
another one was spied to the westward. By nine 
o'clock, when the mists had lifted, the Constitution 



THREE -DAYS CHASE OF THE "CONSTITUTION" 25 

had to leeward and astern of her seven sail in sight 
— two frigates, a ship of the line, two smaller frigates, 
a brig, and a schooner. There was no doubt as to 
who they were, for in the light breeze the British 
colors tossed at their peaks. It was a squadron of 
Captain Sir Philip Vere Broke, and he would have 
given his right hand to have been able to lessen the 
distance between him and the chase. But, luckily 
for " Old Ironsides," all of the Englishmen were be- 
yond gunshot. Hull hoisted out his boats ahead, 
and they began the weary work of towing ; at the 
same time, stern-chasers were run out over the after- 
bulwarks and through the cabin windows. It fell 
dead calm, and before long all of the English vessels 
had begun to tow also. But the Constitution had 
the best position for this kind of work, as she could 
have smashed the boats of an approaching vessel, 
while her own were protected by her hull. One of 
the nearest frigates, the Skanno7t, soon opened fire, 
but her shot fell short, and she gave it up as useless. 
At this moment a brilliant idea occurred to Lieuten- 
ant Morris of the Constitution. It had often been the 
custom in our service to warp ships to their anchor- 
age by means of kedge-anchors when in a narrow 
channel ; by skilful handling they had sometimes 
maintained a speed of three knots an hour. Hull 
himself gives the credit for this idea to Lieutenant 
Charles Morris. 

All the spare hawsers and rope that would stand 
the strain w^ere spliced together, and a line almost a 



26 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

mile in length was towed ahead of the ship and a 
kedge-anchor dropped. At once the Constitutio7t 
began to walk away from her pursuers — as she 
tripped one kedge she commenced to haul upon 
another. Now for the first time Hull displayed his 
colors and fired a gun ; but it was not long before 
the British discovered the Yankee trick and were 
trying it themselves. 

A slight breeze happily sprang up, which the 
Constitutio7i caught first and forged ahead of the 
leading vessel, that had fifteen or sixteen boats tow- 
ing away at her. Soon it fell calm again, and the 
towing and kedging were resumed. But the Bel- 
videra^ headed by a flotilla of rowboats, gained once 
more, and Hull sent overboard some twenty-four 
hundred gallons of water to lighten his vessel. A 
few shots were exchanged without result. But with- 
out ceasing the wearisome work went on, and never 
a grumble was heard, although the men had been 
on duty and hard at work twelve hours and more. 

This was to be only the beginning of it. Now 
and then breezes would spring from the southward, 
and the tired sailors would seize the occasion to 
throw themselves on the deck and rest, often falling 
asleep leaning across the guns — the crews had never 
left their quarters. 

From eleven o'clock in the evening until past mid- 
night the breeze held strong enough to keep the 
Constitution in advance. Then it fell dead calm 
once more. Captain Hull decided to give his men 



THE "CONSTITUTION" TOWING AND KEDGING 




\ • 



^•Y-^-t' 



J 



THREE -DAYS CHASE OF THE "CONSTITUTION" 2/ 

the much-needed respite; and, except for those aloft 
and the man at the wheel, they slept at their posts ; 
but at 2 A.M. the boats were out again. 

During this respite the Guerriere had gained, and 
was off the lee beam. It seemed as if it were impos- 
sible to avoid an action, and Hull had found that 
two of his heavy stern-chasers were almost worse 
than useless, as the blast of their discharge threat- 
ened to blow out the stern-quarters, owing to the 
overhan^ino: of the wood-work and the shortness of 
the guns. The soundings had run from twenty-six 
to twenty-four fathoms, and now Hull was afraid of 
getting into deeper water, where kedging would be 
of no use. 

At daybreak three of the enemy's frigates had 
crept up to within long gunshot on the lee quarter, 
and the Guerriere maintained her position on the 
beam. The Africa, the ship of the line, and the two 
smaller vessels had fallen far behind. Slowly but 
surely the Belvidera drew ahead of the Guerriere^ 
and at last she was almost off the Constitution s bow 
when she tacked. Hull, to preserve his position and 
the advantage of being to windward, was obliged to 
follow suit. It must have been a wondrous sight at 
this moment to the unskilled eye; escape would have 
seemed impossible, for the American was apparently 
in the midst of the foe. Rapidly approaching her 
on another tack was the frigate ALolus within long 
range, but she and the Constitution passed one an- 
other without firing. The breeze freshening, Hull 



28 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

hoisted in his boats, and the weary rowers rested 
their strained arms. 

All the English vessels rounded upon the same 
tack as the Constitution, and now the five frigates 
had out all their kites, and were masses of shining 
canvas from their trucks to the water's edge. Count- 
ing the Constitiition, eleven sail were in sight, and 
soon a twelfth appeared to the windward. It was 
evident that she was an American merchantman, as 
she threw out her colors upon sighting the squad- 
ron. The Englishmen did not despatch a vessel to 
pursue her, but to encourage her to come down 
to them they all flew the stars and stripes. Hull 
straightway, as a warning, drew down his own flag 
and set the English ensign. This had the desired 
effect, and the merchantman hauled on the wind 
and made his best efforts to escape. 

Hull had kept his sails wet with hose and bucket, 
in order to hold the wind, and by ten o'clock his 
crew had started cheering and laughing, for they 
were slowly drawing ahead ; the Belvidera was di- 
rectly in their wake, distant almost three miles. The 
other vessels were scattered to leeward, two frigates 
were on the lee quarter five miles away, and the 
Africa, holding the opposite tack, was hull down on 
the horizon. The latitude was made out at midday 
to be 38° 47' north, and the longitude, by dead reck- 
oning, 73° 57' west. 

The wind freshened in the early afternoon, and, 
the sails being trimmed and watched closely, Hull's 



THREE - DAYS CHASE OF THE " CONSTITUTION " 29 

claim that his old ship was a stepper, if put to it, was 
verified, for she gained two miles and more upon the 
pursuers. And now strategy was to come into play. 
Dark, angry-looking clouds and deeper shadows on 
the water to windward showed that a sudden squall 
was approaching. It was plain that rain was falling 
and would reach the American frigate first. The 
topmen were hurried aloft, the sheets and tacks and 
clew-lines manned, and the Constitution held on with 
all sails set, but with everything ready at the com- 
mand to be let go. As the rush of wind and rain 
approached all the light canvas was furled, a reef 
taken in the mizzen-topsail, and the ship was brought 
under short sail, as if she expected to be laid on her 
beam ends. The English vessels astern observed 
this, and probably expected that a hard blow was 
going to follow, for they let go and hauled down as 
they were, without waiting for the wind to reach 
them. Some of them hove to and began to reef, 
and they scattered in different directions, as if for 
safety. But no sooner had the rain shrouded the 
Constitution than Hull sheeted home, hoisted his 
fore and main topgallant-sails, and, with the wind 
boiling the water all about him, he roared away over 
the sea at a gait of eleven knots. 

For an hour the breeze held strong — blowing al- 
most half a gale, in fact — and then it disappeared to 
leeward. A Yankee cheer broke out in which the 
ofificers joined, for the English fleet was far down 
the wind, and the Africa was barely visible. A few 



30 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

minutes' more sailing, and the leading frigates were 
hull below the horizon. 

Still they held in chase throughout all the night, 
signalling each other now and then. At daybreak 
all fear was over; but the Constitution kept all sail, 
even after Broke's squadron gave up and hauled to 
the northward and eastward. 

The small brig that had been counted in the fleet 
of the pursuers was the Nautilus, which had been 
captured by the English three or four days previous- 
ly. She was the first vessel lost on either side during 
the war. She was renowned as havincj been the ves- 
sel commanded by the gallant Somers, who lost his 
life in the harbor of Tripoli. 

Lieutenant Crane, who had command of her when 
taken by the English, and who saw the whole chase, 
speaks of the wonder and astonishment of the 
British officers at the handling of the Constitution. 
They expected to see Hull throw overboard his 
guns and anchors and stave his boats. This they 
did themselves in a measure, as they cut adrift many 
of their cutters — and spent some time afterwards in 
picking them up — by the same token. Nothing had 
been done to lighten the Constitution but to start 
the water-casks, as before mentioned. 

So sure were the English of making a capture that 
Captain Broke had appointed a prize crew from his 
vessel, the Shanno7i, and had claimed the honor of 
sailing the Constitution into Halifax ; but, as a con- 
temporary states, " The gallant gentleman counted 



THREE -DAYS CHASE OF THE "CONSTITUTION" 3 I 

his chickens before they were hatched" — a saying 
trite but true. 

To quote from the Shannons log, under the entry 
of July 1 8th, will be of interest: " At dawn" (so it 
runs) " an American frigate within four miles of the 
squadron. Had a most fatiguing and anxious chase ; 
both towing and kedging, as opportunity offered. 
American exchanged a few shots with Belvidera — 
carried near enemy by partial breeze. Cut our 
boats adrift, but all in vain ; the Constitution sailed 
well and escaped." 

It is recorded in English annals that there were 
some very sharp recriminations and explanations 
held in \\\q Shannon s c^kAn. Perhaps Captain Hull 
would have enjoyed being present ; but by this time 
he was headed northward. He ran into Boston 
harbor for water on the following Sunday. 

Broke's squadron separated, hoping to find the 
Constitution on some future day and force her to 
action. In this desire Captain Dacres of the Giier- 
rCere was successful — so far as the finding was con- 
cerned ; but the well-known result started American 
hearts to beating high and cast a gloom over the 
Parliament of England. 

The ovations and praises bestowed upon the 
American commander upon his arrival at Boston 
induced him to insert the following card on the 
books of the Exchange Coffee-House : 

" Captain Hull, finding that his friends in Boston 
are correctly informed of his situation when chased 



32 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

by the British squadron off New York, and that 
they are good enough to give him more credit for 
having escaped it than he ought to claim, takes this 
opportunity of requesting them to transfer their 
good wishes to Lieutenant Morris and the other 
brave ofificers, and the crew under his command, for 
their very great exertions and prompt attention to 
his "orders while the enemy were in chase. Captain 
Hull has great pleasure in saying that, notwith- 
standing the length of the chase, and the officers 
and crew being deprived of sleep, and allowed but 
little refreshment during the time, not a murmur 
was heard to escape them." 

It is rather a remarkable circumstance that the 
Belvidera, which was one of the vessels that in this 
long chase did her best to come up with the Cojtsti- 
tution, had some months before declined the honor 
of engaging the President. For, on the 24th of 
June, Captain Rodgers had fired with his own hand 
one of the President's bowchasers at the Belvidera^ 
and thus opened the war. After exchanging some 
shots, Captain Byron, of the Belvidera, decided that 
discretion was the better part, and, lightening his 
ship, managed to escape. 



II 

THE "CONSTITUTION" AND THE "GUERRIERE" 

[August 19th, 1812] 



THE history of the naval combats of our sec- 
ond war with Great Britain, the career of 
the frigate Constitution, and the deeds of 
our Yankee commodores will never be forgotten as 
long as we have a navy or continue to be a nation. 
England, it must be remembered, had held the seas 
for centuries. In no combat between single ships 
(where the forces engaged were anything like equal) 
had she lost a vessel. The French fleets, under or- 
ders of their own government, ran away from hers, 
and the Spanish captains had allowed their ships' 
timbers to rot for years in blockaded harbors. Nev- 
ertheless, this was the age of honor, of gallantry, of 
the stiff duelling code, when men bowed, passed 
compliments, and fought one another to the death 
with a parade of courtesy that has left trace to-day 
in the conduct of the intercourse between all naval 
powers. In the duels of the ships in the past that 
have stirred the naval world, America has records 
that are monuments to her seamen, and that must 
arouse the pride of every officer who sails in her 
great steel cruisers to-day. 

Up to the affair of the Constitutioit and the 
Guerri'ere, in 1812, the British had not fairly tested 
in battle the seamanship or naval metal of the Ameri- 



36 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

cans. With the exceptions of the actions between 
the Boiihomnie Richard and the Serapis, the Ranger 
and DrakCy and the Yarmouth and Ra7idolph, the war 
of '76 was a repelled invasion. 

The twenty -four hours of the 19th of August, 
181 2, began with light breezes that freshened as 
the morning wore on. The Constitution was slip- 
ping southward through the long rolling seas. 

A month before this date, under the command of 
Commodore Hull, she had made her wonderful es- 
cape from Broke's squadron after a chase of over 
sixty hours. 

Her cruise since she had left Boston, two weeks 
before, had been uneventful. Vainly had she 
sought from Cape Sable to the region of Halifax, 
from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, for 
any sign of a foe worthy her metal. It was getting 
on towards two o'clock; her men had finished 
their mid-day meal, the afternoon drills had not be- 
gun, and an observation showed the ship to be in 
latitude 41° 40' and longitude 55° 48'. Suddenly 
" Sail ho !" from the mast-head stirred the groups 
on the forecastle, and caused the officer pacing the 
weather side of the quarter-deck to stop suddenly 
and raise his head. 

" Where away ?" he shouted to the voice far up 
above the booming sails. 

Almost before he could get the answer the 
stranger's top-sails were visible from the lower rig- 
ging, into which the midshipmen and idlers had 



"CONSTITUTION AND " GUERRIERE 37 

scrambled, and a few moments later they could be 
seen from the upper deck. The vessel was too far 
off to show her character, but bore E.S.E., a faint 
dot against the horizon. 

Hull came immediately from his cabin. He was 
a large, fat man, whose excitable temperament was 
held in strong control. His eye gleamed when he 
saw the distant speck of white. Immediately the 
Constitutions course was altered, and with her light 
sails set she was running free, with kites all draw- 
ing, and the chase looming clearer and clearer each 
anxious minute of the time. At three o'clock it 
was plainly seen that she was a large ship, on the 
starboard tack, close-hauled on the wind, and under 
easy sail. In half an hour her ports could be de- 
scried through the glass, and loud murmurs of 
satisfaction ran through the ship's company. The 
officers smiled congratulations at one another, and 
Hull's broad face shone with his suppressed emo- 
tion. In the official account Hull speaks of the con- 
duct of his crew before the fight in the following 
words : " It gives me great pleasure to say that 
from the smallest boy in the ship to the oldest sea- 
man not a look of fear was seen. They went into 
action giving three cheers, and requesting to be 
laid close to the enemy." The Constitution gained 
on the stranger, who held her course, as if entirely 
oblivious of her pursuer's presence. 

When within three miles, and to leeward, Hull 
shortened sail and cleared the decks ; the drum beat 



38 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

to quarters, and the men sprang to their stations. 
No crew was ever better prepared to do battle for 
any cause or country. Although few of the men had 
been in action before, they had been drilled until 
they had the handling of the clumsy iron guns 
down to the point of excellence. They had been 
taught to fire on the falling of a sea, and to hull 
their opponent, if possible, at every shot. They 
loved and trusted their commander, were proud of 
their ship, and burned to avenge the wrongs to 
which many had been subjected, for the mer- 
chant service had furnished almost half their 
number. 

As soon as Hull took in his sail the stranger 
backed her main-topsail yard, and slowly came up 
into the wind. Then it could be seen that her 
men were all at quarters also. Hull raised his 
flag. Immediately in response up went to every 
mast-head of the waiting ship the red cross of old 
England. It was growing late in the afternoon, the 
breeze had freshened, and the white-caps had be- 
gun to jump on every side. The crew of the Con- 
stitution broke into three ringing cheers as their 
grand old craft bore down upon the enemy. When 
almost within range the English let go her broad- 
side, filled away, wore ship, and fired her other 
broadside on the other tack. The shot fell short, 
and the Constitution resei^ved her fire. For three- 
quarters of an hour the two yawed about and 
manoeuvred, trying to rake and to avoid being 



" CONSTITUTION " AND " GUERRIERE 39 

raked in turn. Occasionally the Constitution fired 
a gun ; her men were in a fever of impatience. 

At six in the evening the enemy, seeing all at- 
tempts to outsail her antagonist were in vain, 
showed a brave indication of wishing to close and 
fight. Nearer the two approached, the American 
in silence. 

" Shall I fire T inquired Lieutenant Morris, Hull's 
second in command. 

" Not yet," replied Hull, quietly. 

The bows of the Constitution began to double 
the quarter of the enemy. The latter's shot began 
to start the sharp white splinters flying about the 
Constitution s decks. 

" Shall I fire .?" again asked Lieutenant Morris. 

" Not yet, sir," was Hull's answer, spoken almost 
beneath his breath. Suddenly he bent forward. 
" Now, boys," he shouted, loudly, so that his voice 
rang above the enemy's shots and the roaring of 
the seas under the quarter, " pour it into them !" 
It was at this point, so the story goes, that Hull, 
crouching in his excitement, split his tight knee- 
breeches from waistband to buckle. 

The Co7istittition s qtuus were double -shotted 
with round and grape. The broadside was as one 
single explosion, and the destruction was terrific. 
The enemy's decks were flooded, and the blood ran 
out of the scuppers — her cockpit filled with the 
wounded. For a few minutes, shrouded in smoke, 
they fought at the distance of a half pistol-shot, but 



40 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

in that short space of time the Englishman was 
literally torn to pieces in hull, spars, sails, and rig- 
ging. 

As her mizzenmast gave way the Englishman 
brought up into the wind, and the Constitiition 
forged slowly ahead, fired again, luffed short around 
the other's bows, and, owing to the heavy sea, fell 
foul of her antagonist, with her bowsprit across her 
larboard quarter. While in this position Hull's 
cabin was set on fire by the enemy's forward battery, 
and part of the crew were called away from the guns 
to extinguish the threatening blaze. 

Now both sides tried to board. It was the old 
style of fighting for the British tars, and they brave- 
ly swarmed on deck at the call, " Boarders away !" 
and the shrill piping along the 'tween-decks. The 
Americans were preparing for the same attempt, 
and three of their officers who mounted the taffrail 
were shot by the muskets of the English. Brave 
Lieutenant Bush, of the marines, fell dead with a 
bullet in his brain. 

The swaying and grinding of the huge ships 
against each other made boarding impossible, and 
it was at this anxious moment that the sails of 
the Constihition filled; she fell off and shot ahead. 
Hardly was she clear when the foremast of the ene- 
my fell, carrying with it the wounded mainmast, and 
leaving the proud vessel of a few hours before a 
helpless wreck, " rolling like a log in the trough of 
the sea, entirely at the mercy of the billows." 



"constitution" and "guerri^re" 41 

It was now nearly seven o'clock. The sky had 
clouded over, the wind was freshening, and the sea 
was growing heavy. Hull drew off for repairs, rove 
new rigging, secured his masts, and, wearing ship, 
again approached, ready to pour in a final broadside. 
It was not needed. Before the Constitution could 
fire, the flag which had been flying at the stump of 
the enemy's mizzenmast was struck. The fight was 
over. 

A boat was lowered from the Constitution, and 
Lieutenant Read, the third officer, rowing to the 
prize, inquired, with " Captain Hull's compliments," 
if she had struck her flag. He was answered by 
Captain Dacres — who must have possessed a sense 
of humor — that, for very obvious reasons, she cer- 
tainly had done so. 

To quote a few words from Hull's account of the 
affair — he says: "After informing that so fine a 
ship as the Gnerriere, commanded by an able and 
experienced officer, had been totally dismasted and 
otherwise cut to pieces, so as to make her not worth 
towing into port, in the short space of thirty minutes 
(actual fighting time), you can have no doubt of the 
gallantry and good conduct of the officers and ship's 
company I have the honor to command." 

In the Constitutioji seven were killed and seven 
wounded. In the Guerriere, fifteen killed, sixty-two 
wounded — including several officers and the cap- 
tain, who was wounded slightly ; twenty-four were 
missing. 



42 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

The next day, owing to the reasons shown In 
Hull's report, the Guerriere was set on fire. At 
3.15 in the afternoon she blew up; and this was the 
end of the ship whose commander had sent a per- 
sonal message to Captain Hull some weeks before, 
requesting the " honor of a tete-a-tete at sea." 

Isaac Hull, who had thus early endeared himself 
in the hearts of his countrymen, and set a high mark 
for American sailors to aim at, was born near the 
little town of Derby, not far from New Haven, Con- 
necticut, in the year 1775. He was early taken with 
a desire for the sea, and at the age of twelve years 
he went on board a vessel that had been captured 
by his father from the British during the Revolution. 

Although he entered the navy at the age of 
twenty-three, he had already made eighteen voyages 
to different parts of Europe and the West Indies, 
and had seen many adventures and thrilling mo- 
ments. 

During the administration of John Adams there 
occurred " that exceedingly toilsome but inglorious 
service " of getting rid of the French privateers who 
infested the West Indian seas. During this quasi 
war Hull was first lieutenant of the frigate Cotistitti- 
tioii under Commodore Talbot. In May, 1798, he 
had a chance to distinguish himself, and did not 
neglect the opportunity, although the upshot of it 
was tragic but bloodless. 

It might not be out of place to relate the incident 
here. In the harbor Porto Plata, in the island of 



THE SURRENDER OF THE " GUERRIERE 



I 



"constitution" and "guerri£re" 43 

St. Domingo, lay the Sandwich^ a French letter-of- 
marque. Hull was sent by his superior, in one of the 
cutters, to reconnoitre the Frenchman. On the way 
he found a little American sloop that rejoiced in 
the name of Sally. Hull threw his party of seamen 
and marines on board of her, and hid them below 
the deck. Then the Sally was put into the harbor, 
and, as if by some awkwardness, ran afoul of the 
Sandwich, which, as a jocose writer remarks, " they 
devoured without the loss of a man." At the same 
time this rash proceeding was being carried on un- 
der the eyes (or, better, guns) of a Spanish battery, 
Lieutenant Carmick took some marines and, rowing 
ashore, spiked the guns. The Sandwich was capt- 
ured at mid-day, and before the afternoon was over 
she weighed her anchor, beat out of the harbor, and 
joined the ConstittUion. 

In the opinion of nautical judges this was the 
best bit of cutting-out work on record, for Hull's 
men were outnumbered three to one ; and if he had 
not taken precautions, the battery could have blown 
him out of the water. But, alas and alack ! all this dar- 
ing and bravery went for worse than naught. Spain 
complained of the treatment she had received, and 
the United States government acknowledged that 
the capture was illegal, having taken place in a neu- 
tral port. The Sandwich was restored to her French 
owners, and, worst of all, every penny of the prize 
money due the Constitution s officers and men for 
this cruise went to pay the damages. 



44 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

Before the war of 1812, Hull distinguished him- 
self by his fearlessness and self-reliance during the 
Tripolitan war. The two occasions that gave him 
renown during our struggle with Great Britain have 
been recorded at length, and there is but to set down 
that, after the conclusion of the war with Great 
Britain, Commodore Hull was in command at the 
various stations in the Pacific and the Mediterranean, 
and departed this life on the 13th of February, 1843. 
Of him John Frost writes, in 1844, " He was a glori- 
ous old commodore, with a soul full of all noble as- 
pirations for his country's honor — a splendid relic 
of a departed epoch of naval renown." 



Ill 

THE "WASP" AND THE "FROLIC" 
[October i8th, 1812] 



JACOB JONES, of the United States Navy, 
was a native of Kent County, in the State 
of Delaware. He rose rapidly through the 
various grades of the semce, attracting no- 
tice by his steadfastness and attention to duty, 
and in 1811 he was transferred to the command of 
the Wasp, a tidy sloop of war then mounting eigh- 
teen 24-pound carronades. She was a fast sailer, 
given any wind or weather. 

In the spring of 181 2, Captain Jones was de- 
spatched to England with communications to our 
minister at the Court of St. James. After fulfilling 
his mission he immediately set sail for America. 
The declaration of war between England and this 
country took place while the Wasp was on the high 
seas on her returning vo3^age ; but as soon as he had 
landed, the news greeted her commander, and he 
was eager to put to sea again. 

Captain Jacob Jones knew his ship, he knew his 
crew, and he rejoiced in having about him a set of 
young officers devoted to the service. Their names 
were James Biddle, George W. Rogers, Benjamin 
W. Broth, Henry B. Rapp, and Lieutenants Knight 
and Claxton, and they were soon destined to win 
laurels and glory for their country. 



48 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

The first short cruise yielded no adventure of 
importance, but on the 13th of October the Wasp 
left the Delaware and two days later encountered 
a heavy gale, during which her jib-boom was unfort- 
unately carried away and two of her people lost 
overboard. For some hours she was thrown about 
like a shuttlecock, and all hands were called time 
and again to shorten sail. The night of the 17th 
the sky cleared and the stars shone brightly. To 
Captain Jones's surprise several sail were reported 
as being close at hand to the eastward. They were 
clearly seen through the night-glass to be large, and 
apparently armed. Jones stood straight for them, 
and gave orders to lay the same course that the 
strangers were then holding, and so they kept un- 
til dawn of the next day, which was a Sunday. 

A heavy sea was running, and the Wasp, close- 
hauled, crept up to windward of the fleet that she 
had followed through the night. At the beginning 
of the early morning watch they were made out to 
be four large ships and two smaller vessels under a 
spread of canvas, all keeping close together. 

But what was more interesting to the eager Amer- 
ican crew was a sturdy sloop of war, a brig, that was 
edging up slowly into the wind, evidently guarding 
the six fleeing vessels to leeward — the sheep-dog of 
the flock. 

The Wasp, having the weather-gage, swung off 
a point or so to lessen the distance. 

As the stranger brig came nearer she heeled over 



THE " WASP " AND THE " FROLIC 49 

until her broadside could be counted with the eye, 
and her lower sails were seen to be wet with the 
spray that dashed up over her bows. 

For some time the Americans had been aloft 
getting down the topgallant yards, and at eleven 
o'clock the stranger brig shortened sail and shook 
out the Spanish flag. But this did not deceive the 
wary Yankee captain for half an instant. No one 
but an American or an Englishman would carry 
sail in that fashion or bring his ship up to an 
enemy like that, and the Wasp's drummer beat to 
quarters. 

Now for over thirty minutes the two vessels 
sailed on side by side, but constantly nearing. At 
last they were so close that the buttons of the 
officers' coats could be seen, the red coat of a ma- 
rine showed, and all doubt on board the Wasp of 
the other being anything but English was dispelled 
in a flash. The matches had been smoking for a 
full quarter of an hour. 

When within near pistol-shot Captain Jones 
hailed through his trumpet. Down came the col- 
ors of Spain and up went the cross of St. George. 
The distance was scarcely sixty yards, and as the 
flags exchanged the brig let go her broadside. A 
lucky incident occurred just then that probably 
saved many lives on board the Wasp. A sudden 
puff of wind heeled the enemy over as she fired, 
and her shot swept through the upper rigging and 
riddled the sails. Jones immediately replied with 



50 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

all his guns, that tore and hulled his antagonist 
with almost every shot; then, as fast as his crew 
could load and fire, he kept at it. Now and then 
the muzzles of his little broadside would sweep into 
the water; but those of the enemy, aimed high, were 
mangling his rigging and sweeping away braces, 
blocks, and running gear. 

At the end of a hot five minutes there was a 
sharp crack aloft, and the main-topmast of the Wasp 
swayed and fell, bringing down the main -topsail 
yard across the fore -topsail braces and rendering 
the head-sails unmanageable. Three minutes more 
and away went the gaff at the jaws, and the mizzen- 
topgallant - sail fluttered to the deck like a huge 
wounded bird. 

The American, slightly in advance, fell off her 
course and crossed her enemy's bows, firing and rak- 
ing her at close range most fearfully. At once the 
fire of the Englishman slackened, and the Wasp 
drifted slowly back to her former position. 

Both vessels were jumping so in the seaway that 
boarding would be attended by mutual danger. 
The enemy revived from the destructive broadside, 
fired a few more shots, and the last brace of the 
Wasp fell over her side, leaving the masts unsup- 
ported, and, badly wounded as they were, in a most 
critical condition. 

" We must decide this matter at once," said Cap- 
tain Jones, as he looked at the creaking spars, and 
he gave orders to wear ship. Slowly his vessel an- 



THE "WASP" RAKING THE "FROLIC" 



THE " WASP AND THE " FROLIC 5 1 

swered, and, paying off, the collision followed. With 
a grinding jar the Wasp rubbed along the English- 
man's bow, and the jib-boom of the latter, extend- 
ing clear across the deck immediately over the 
American commander's head, fouled in the mizzen- 
shrouds. It was not necessary to make her fast, 
and she lay so fair for raking that Jones gave orders 
for another broadside. 

As the gunners of the Wasp threw out their ram- 
mers the ends touched the enemy's sides, and the 
muzzles of two 12-pounders went through the lat- 
ter's bow-ports and swept the deck's length. 

Jack Lange was an able American seaman who 
had once been impressed into the British service, 
and the excitement of the moment was too much for 
his feverish blood. Taking his cutlass in his teeth, 
he leaped atop a gun and laid hold of the enemy's 
nettings. 

" Come out of that, sir ! Wait for orders !" roared 
Captain Jones, who wished to fire again. 

But if Jack Lange heard he did not hesitate, and, 
despite the command, hauled himself alone over the 
bows. Some of the men left their guns at this and 
picked up pikes and boarding-axes. 

Lieutenant Biddle glanced at his commander, the 
latter nodded grimly, and with a spring the lieuten- 
ant gained the hammock cloth and reached up for 
the ropes overhead. The vessels lurched and one 
of his feet caught in a tangle, from which he vainly 
tried to free himself. 



52 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

Little Midshipman Baker, who was too short to 
make a reach of it, thought he saw his chance, 
and, laying hold of Lieutenant Biddle's coat - tails 
in his eagerness, tried to swarm up his superior's 
legs. The result was, however, that both fell back 
on the rail, and came within an ace of pitching 
overboard into the sea. Jumping up quickly. Lieu- 
tenant Biddle took advantage of a heave of the 
Wasp and scrambled over the enemy's bowsprit on 
to the forecastle. 

There stood Jack Lange, with his cutlass in his 
folded arms, gazing at a wondrous sight. Not a 
living soul was on the deck but a wounded man at 
the wheel and three ofHcers huddled near the taff- 
rail! But the colors were still whipping and snap- 
ping overhead, and, two or three more of the Wasp's 
boarders tumbling on board, the little party, headed 
by Biddle, made their way aft. Immediately the offi- 
cers, two of whom were wounded, threw down their 
swords, and one of them leaned forward and hid 
his face in his hands. 

The young lieutenant jumped into the rigging 
and hauled down the flag. It was almost beyond 
belief that such carnage and complete destruction 
could have taken place in a time so short. But a 
small proportion of the crew had escaped. The 
wounded and dying lay everywhere, the berth-deck 
was crowded, and there were not enough of the liv- 
ing to minister to their comrades. H. M. S. Frolic 
was a charnel-ship. 



THE "WASP AND THE "FROLIC 53 

The Wasp's crew brought on board all their blank- 
ets, and the American surgeon's mate was soon busy 
attending to the wounded. 

With great difficulty the two vessels were sepa- 
rated, for the Frolic had locked her antagonist, as it 
were, in a dying embrace ; and no sooner were they 
clear than both of the prize's masts fell (one bring- 
ing down the other), covering the dead and wounded, 
and hampering all the efforts of Lieutenant Biddle 
and his crew to clear the decks. 

All this time three great white topsails had been 
pushing up above the horizon, and soon it was made 
out that a large ship of some kind was bearing down, 
carrying all the canvas she safely could in the sharp 
blow. 

Jones, thinking that it might be one of the con- 
voy returning to seek the Frolic, called his tired 
crew to quarters, instructing Lieutenant Biddle to 
fit a jury rig and to make with his charge for some 
Southern port. It was not to be, however, and the 
gallant victory was to have a different termination. 

The lookout on the foremast called down some- 
thing that changed the complexion of matters en- 
tirely. 

"A seventy-four carrying the English flag!" he 
shouted. That was all. The men at the Wasp's 
guns put out their matches. There was nothing to 
do but wait and be taken. Any resistance would 
be worse than foolish. 

As the great battle-ship came bowling along she 



54 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

passed so close that the faces could be seen looking 
through her three tiers of great open ports. She 
disdained to hail, fired one gun over the little Wasp, 
and swept on. Captain Jones hauled down his flag, 
and read the word Poictiers under the Britisher's 
galleries. In a minute or two the latter retook the 
Frolic, and, lowering her boats, placed prize crews 
on board both her and the Yankee sloop. After 
some repairing, she set sail and carried her captives 
to Bermuda. 

As in all the separate engagements of the time, 
comparisons were made between the armaments and 
crews of the fighters, and the press of Great Britain 
and America began the customary argument. Prob- 
ably the Wasp had a few more men, but to quote : 

" The Frolic mounted sixteen 32-pound carron- 
ades, four 12-pounders on the main-deck and two 
12-pound carronades. She was, therefore, superior 
to the Wasp by exactly four 12-pounders. The 
number of men on board, as stated by the officers 
of the Frolic, was no. The number of seamen on 
the Wasp was 102. But it could not be ascertained 
whether in this no were included marines and 
officers, for the Wasp had, besides her 102 seamen, 
officers and marines, making the whole crew about 
135. What, however, is decisive as to their com- 
parative force is that the officers of the Frolic ac- 
knowledged that they had as many men as they 
knew what to do with, and, in fact, the Wasp could 
have spared fifteen men. . . . The exact number of 



THE "WASP AND THE "FROLIC 55 

killed and wounded on board the Frolic could not 
be determined, but from the observations of our 
officers and the declarations of those of the Frolic 
the number could not be less than about thirty 
killed, including two officers, and of the wounded 
between forty and fifty, the captain and lieutenant 
being of the number. The Wasp had five killed 
and five slightly wounded." 

Captain Jones in his report speaks of the bravery 
of his officers, the gallantry of his adversary, Cap- 
tain Whinyates, and makes little mention of himself. 
Upon his exchange and return to the United States 
he was received with every honor belonging to a 
victor, and the sum of ^25,000 was voted by Con- 
gress to be divided as prize money among his crew. 
The Wasp soon flew the British flag, but was lost 
at sea. Strange to relate, this was also the fate of 
the second Wasp that was soon afloat in the Amer- 
ican service, and that had a career which was sur- 
passed by none of the smaller vessels of the day. 



>^ 



IV 

THE "UNITED STATES" AND THE "MACEDONIAN" 

[October 25th, 1812] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN STEPHEN DECATUR 



"Then quickly met our nation's eyes 
The noblest sight in nature — 
A first-rate frigate as a prize 
Brought home by brave Decatur." 

— Old Sonsr. 



'■i> ' 



E 



IGHTY-FOUR years ago, throughout the 
"^ country, the name Decatur was toasted at 
every table, was sung from the forecastle 
to the drawing-room, from the way-side tavern to 
the stage of the city playhouse. To-day, written or 
spoken, it stands out like a watchword, reminiscent 
of the days of brave gallantry and daring enterprise 
at sea. 

Those writers who have been tempted by their 
Americanism and pride to take up the navy as a 
field have repeated over and over again, more than 
likely, everything that could be said about Stephen 
Decatur. 

On his father's side he was of French descent, as 
his name shows, his grandfather being a native of 
La Rochelle in France, and his grandmother an 
American lady from Rhode Island. He was named 
after his father, Stephen Decatur, who was born at 
Newport, but who had at an early age removed to 
Philadelphia, where he had married the beautiful 
Miss Pine. 



6o NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

On the establishment of an American navy he 
was appointed to the Delaware, sloop of war. This 
was after he had commanded one or two merchant 
vessels and had proved himself a seaman. When 
the frigate Philadelphia was built by subscriptions 
of loyal-hearted merchants, the command of her was 
tendered to the elder Decatur by the particular re- 
quest of the subscribers. The value of inheritance 
could not be shown more strongly than by looking 
at the career of the son born to him on the 5th of 
January, 1779. At the time of the birth of Stephen 
Decatur, Jr., his parents were residing on the eastern 
shore of Maryland during the days the British were 
in possession of the town of Philadelphia. After 
the evacuation of that place they returned, and here 
their son was educated with the idea of making a 
sailor of him from the very first. 

Young Decatur entered the navy in March, 1798, 
and joined the frigate United States, commanded 
by Commodore John Barry, who, by-the-way, was 
instrumental in securing the appointment for him. 
It was not long before he was promoted to be a 
lieutenant, and made a cruise on the Spanish Main 
on the brig Norfolk during the war against the 
French cruisers. Returning after the peace was 
concluded with France, he was ordered to the Essex 
as first lieutenant, and sailed with Commodore Dale's 
squadron to the Mediterranean. This trip he made 
twice more, for on the return of that squadron he 
was ordered to the New York under Commodore 



" UNITED STATES " AND " MACEDONIAN " 6l 

Morris, who took the same station. After a short 
stay Decatur returned to the United States, and 
soon afterwards he was given his first command, the 
brig Argus, and with her proceeded to join Commo- 
dore Preble's squadron, and was transferred to the 
command of the schooner Enterprise, exchanging 
vessels with Lieutenant Isaac Hull. The story of the 
capture and blowing up of the frigate Philadelphia, 
which under Captain Bainbridge had run ashore 
and been taken by the Tripolitans, has been de- 
scribed times without number. There is not space 
to write about it here. It is a tale in itself. But 
after the success of Decatur's attempt, in which he 
overcame obstacles apparently insurmountable, the 
eyes of the country were turned upon him, and the 
great things that he afterwards accomplished were 
predicted. 

Decatur was one of those men whose courage and 
lofty spirit make it impossible for them to remain 
spectators or mere directors of events in which they 
are interested. It was necessary for him to be in 
the midst of the fight, sword or pistol in hand, like a 
common seaman. The story of his duel with the 
Turkish commander in the harbor of Tripoli, where, 
with a sword broken at the hilt, he fought a hand- 
to-hand fight and emerged victorious, gives a little 
insight into his character. Upon his return to his 
country, after some short service he was appoint- 
ed to the command of the Chesapeake, succeeding 
Commodore Barron, who had struck to the British 



62 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

frigate Leopard m 1807. It was here that the bad 
feeling between these officers that led to the tragic 
ending of Decatur's life began. As soon as the 
frigate United States was put in commission, Deca- 
tur was relieved of his command of the Chesapeake 
(which, to tell the truth, he did not much relish), and 
thus found himself, on the outbreak of the war with 
Great Britain, with plenty of opportunities before 
him to add to his laurels. 

In October of the year 18 12 the frigate United 
States was one of a small squadron that was cruising 
not far from the island of Madeira. On the twelfth 
day of the month she parted with the President, 
44, and later with the 16 -gun brig Argus, both 
of which had sailed with her from the port of Bos- 
ton, all well officered, well manned, and eager to 
meet the enemy. Bearing away southward into the 
paths of the British West-Indiamen, Decatur, on the 
United States, hoped to intercept a rich prize or two, 
or, better, if possible, to fall in with one of His Maj- 
esty's vessels, which were constantly hovering in 
that neighborhood. Sharp lookouts were kept at 
the mast-head at all hours, and the crew were spoil- 
ing for action. 

Sunday morning, the 25th, dawned bright and 
clear. There was a stiff breeze blowing, and the 
frigate was under easy canvas, steering a course 
southeast by east. An observation showed her to 
be in latitude 29°, longitude 29° 30' west. As soon 
as daylight was fairly broad, off to windward, close 



THK "MACEDONIAN" CROSSING THE BOWS OF THE "UNITED STATES 



"UNITED states" AND "MACEDONIAN" 63 

to the horizon, the lookout descried a sail, and in a 
few minutes it was discovered that the stranger was 
an English ship of war carrying all but her lighter 
canvas. Quickly the United States blossomed out 
from the topgallant yard to her main-course ; and 
althouofh the breeze was strong:, studdingr-sails were 
set, and, tossing the heavy sea to left and right, 
she was soon hard upon the chase. The United 
States was a good sailer — all of our ships were in 
those days — and long before seven o'clock it was 
seen that she was overhauling the enemy rapidly. 
So great was the enthusiasm of her officers and 
men that the cheers they gave were borne by the 
wind to the Englishman before a single gun of the 
action had been fired. Through the glass it could 
be seen that the enemy were at quarters. At nine 
in the morning Decatur luffed a little, took in his 
lighter sails, and fired his gun-deck battery ; but the 
balls fell short. Both vessels were now on the same 
tack, close on the wind, and Decatur found that it 
was impossible for the United States to gain the 
weather-gage. 

Broadsides were exchanged as the distance was 
lessened, and for half an hour the commanders con- 
tinued firing, doing no vital damage. Suddenly the 
enemy changed his course, squared his yards, and 
crossed Decatur's bows, letting drive his forward 
battery. Still the United States held on; and here 
the Englishman made a fatal error. It is given by 
some authorities that Captain John Garden, the 



64 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

commander of the Macedoniait, supposed his oppo- 
nent to be the Essex, which only mounted carron- 
ades; therefore he commenced action at long-range. 
It did not take long, however, to apprise him that 
he was out in his reckoning, for although the dis- 
tance was so great that carronades and muskets 
were of no avail, almost every shot from the heavy 
metal of the American struck its mark, despite the 
pitching cross-sea. Finding it was too late to run, 
Captain Garden bravely bore down upon the United 
States to engage her at close quarters, as at the dis- 
tance at which the action had commenced he was 
being literally chopped to pieces. It was reported 
that during the engagement, which then began in 
earnest, so incessant were the broadsides of the 
American vessel the Englishman supposed her to 
be on fire, and three or four times cheered in their 
turn as the news ran through the ship; but they 
were soon undeceived. The splendid gunnery of 
the Americans was apparent as the vessels neared. 
The rigging and spars of the Macedojzian were rid- 
dled and cut, many of her guns were dismounted, 
and in a few minutes her mizzenmast went by the 
board. Pitching to and fro, shrouded in the smoke 
which blew towards her from the enemy's guns, the 
United States kept up her destructive fire. For an 
instant the smoke cleared away, and there hung the 
main-yard-arm of the English frigate in two pieces ; 
her main-topmast was gone, her fore-topmast was 
tottering, and no colors were seen floating above her 



"UNITED states" AND "MACEDONIAN" 65 

deck ; her bowsprit was swaying to and fro, held 
only by the jib-forestay, and sailing was impossible. 
She ceased to gather headway, lurching and yawing 
to one side and the other helplessly. 

Strange to say, the United States remained almost 
unhurt. Decatur ceased his fire as he saw the ene- 
my's plight, furled his mizzen-topsail (the mizzen- 
topmast being badly wounded), drew away, tacked, 
and came under the lee of the English ship. She 
gave him a feeble broadside, and Decatur luffed 
again across her bows. As he did so. Garden, per- 
ceiving further resistance to be vain, hauled down 
his colors, which had again been hoisted on a spar 
at the stump of the mizzenmast. 

Decatur, his face flushed with victory, hailed in 
person : " What ship is that ?" 

" His Majesty's frigate Macedonian, thirty-eight, 
John S. Garden," was the response. 

Immediately a boat was lowered, and an officer 
was sent on board. In the two hours of the en- 
gagement she had suffered terribly. Not less than 
one hundred round-shot were counted in her hull, 
many of them between wind and water. She had 
nothing standing but her mainmast and fore -yard. 
Her boats were useless, with exception of one small 
quarter-boat; and out of the officers and crew, three 
hundred in number, thirty-six were killed and sixty- 
eight were wounded. The American loss was five 
killed and six wounded. 

The Macedonian was but two years old, a fine 
5 



66 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

vessel of her class, rated thirty-eight, and carrying 
forty-nine guns — eighteen on her gun-deck, and 
thirty -two -pound carronades above. The United 
States was heavier and stronger, both in metal and 
men, it cannot be denied, having a crew of four hun- 
dred and seventy-eight. But, even taking into ac- 
count the disparity in the weight of metal and the 
number of crew, the action proved conclusively that 
American-built ships and American seamen were to 
open the eyes of the world in conflicts on the sea. 

Now comes the courtesy, the almost stilted polite- 
ness, that always seems as if prepared especially for 
dramatic effect before translation into history. As 
the brave Garden stepped upon the deck of the 
United States he proffered his sword to Decatur. 

" No, sir," exclaimed the latter, doffing his cocked 
hat, " I cannot receive the sword of a man who has 
so bravely defended his ship ; but," he added, smil- 
ing graciously, " I will receive your hand." 

As an honored guest, Decatur led the vanquished 
to his cabin, where refreshments, to quote from an- 
other account of the affair, " were set out and par- 
taken of in a friendly spirit by the two commanders." 

Contrary to the opinion formed by the first in- 
spection, Decatur found his prize capable of being 
refitted, and he determined to bring her to an Amer- 
ican port. The United States was speedily repaired. 
In charge of Lieutenant Allen, who had made a 
jury-rigging for the Macedonian, turning her for the 
nonce into a bark, captor and captive set sail for 



" UNITED STATES " AND " MACEDONIAN " ^J 

the United States. On the 4th of December his 
prize entered the harbor of Newport, and it was upon 
this occasion that the old song was written from 
which the stanza at the head of this article is taken. 
Nothing could be more dramatic than the way the 
victory was announced at Washington. Midship- 
man Hamilton, who was in the engagement with 
Decatur, and served with signal bravery, was sent 
with the captured flag of the Macedonian to present 
it to his father, Paul Hamilton, then Secretary of 
the Navy. He arrived in Washington on the even- 
ing of the 8th of December. A ball was in progress, 
and the Secretary of the Navy was present. The 
room was filled with beautiful women, with men in 
all the color and glory of gold lace, epaulets, and 
side-arms, when Hamilton entered. He carried the 
flag of the Macedonian wrapped about his shoulders. 
Instantly he was surrounded. The silk-stockinged 
dandies caught him up on their shoulders, and it is 
even on record that, strange to the customs of the 
times, dignity for once was cast aside, and a cheer 
rang through the ballroom. In the possession of 
the author is a letter (hitherto unpublished) writ- 
ten by Mrs. B. H. Latrobe, grandmother of the ex- 
Mayor of Baltimore, to Mrs. Juliana Miller. It gives 
such a graphic picture of the times that an extract 
from it cannot fail of interest. The letter is dated 
Washington, December 14th, and reads thus : 

"The dulness of the city has, however, been removed in some 
degree by a splendid entertainment on board the frigate Constella- 



68 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

tio7i. We were invited to be there at eleven, to pass the day. The 
vessel lay about half a mile from the shore, and two very elegant 
barges of twelve oars conveyed the company. This was the only 
unpleasant part of the amusement, for the day proved extremely 
cold, and a high wind was blowing. However, we all arrived safe 
about twelve, and the deck was closed in with flags, awnings, etc., 
and two stoves so effectually heated it as to make the temperature 
delightful. The dancing soon commenced, and continued till three, 
when the boatswain's whistle called us to a magnificent dinner be- 
low. The President and Mrs. Madison were seated at the end of a 
very long table ; but I cannot tell you all the company, and can 
only say that the number was said to be five hundred. After dinner 
the dancing commenced again, and continued till about six in the 
evening, when the company broke up. On Tuesday a veiy splen- 
did ball was given to the navy officers Hull, Morris, Stewart, etc. 
My husband could not be absent, as he holds an office in the Navy- 
Department, and I was not sorry we went, as it is not likely I shall 
ever witness such another scene. At about five in the evening my 
husband came home, and informed me that we must immediately 
illuminate our house, as the account of a victory gained by Commo- 
dore Decatur had just arrived. My house in ten minutes was pre- 
pared for lighting up, and we prepared for the ball. The Avenue 
was very brilliant on our way to the Capitol Hill, and, the company 
assembling, the crowd was immense. Mrs. Madison was there, but 
not the President. The evening went on, with crowding as usual 
upon the toes and trains of those that did not dance, when, about 
ten o'clock, a loud huzza announced the arrival of young Archibald 
Hamilton, who had that moment appeared with the colors of the 
Macedonian. He was borne into the room by many officers. Good 
little Mrs. Hamilton, his mother, stood by me, and was so much 
agitated at the sight of her son that she must have fallen had I not 
stepped forward and offered her my arm. The j'oung man sprang 
into her arms, his sisters threw their arms around him, and the 
scene was quite affecting. The colors were then held up by several 
gentlemen over the heads of Hull, Morris, and Stewart, and ' Hail, 
Columbia !' played, and there were huzzas until my head swayed. 

" The aforesaid colors were then laid at the feet of Mrs. Madison. 
O temporal O mores / This was rather overdoing the affair. I 
forgot to say that the flag of the Guerriere was festooned on one 



" UNITED STATES " AND " MACEDONIAN " 69 

side of the room, and of some other vessel. Now, between our- 
selves, I think it wrong to exult so outrageously over our enemies. 
We may have reason to laugh on the other side of our mouths 
some of these days; and as the English are so much stronger than 
we are with their navy, there are ten chances to one that we are 
beaten. Therefore it is best to act moderately when we take a 
vessel, and I could not look at those colors with pleasure, the tak- 
ing of which had made so many widows and orphans. In the ful- 
ness of my feelings, I exclaimed to a gentleman who stood near me, 
'Good heavens! I would not touch that color for a thousand dol- 
lars !' He walked quickly away, I hearing another gentleman say, 
' Is it possible, Mrs. Latrobe ?' I looked around, and it was a good 
stanch Federalist from Rhode Island, Mr. Hunter, so that I shall 
escape hanging after so treasonable a speech," 

Perhaps the circumstances were a vahd excuse 
for the cheering; but this letter is a strange side- 
light on some of the feeling of the times. 

All through the country Decatur became the 
hero of the hour. With a record for intrepidity and 
gallantry behind him, gained by his actions dur- 
ing the war with Tripoli, handsome and young, he 
became the idol of the public. Congress, by a unan- 
imous vote, gave him a gold medal. The legisla- 
tures of Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Penn- 
sylvania, and Virginia gave him thanks. The city 
of New York gave him the freedom of the city and 
a magnificent sword, and tendered to his crew a 
banquet at the City Hotel. Four hundred seamen 
sat down at the long tables, and the memory of that 
feast of rejoicing was long kept green in the service. 
As a picture of the day, a short account, taken from 
a contemporaneous history, T/ze War, of the banquet 



70 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

given to Commodores Hull, Jones, and Decatur is 
of interest. The entertainment was given on the 
day after the freedom of the city was presented to 
Captain Hull. He and Decatur were present; 
Jones was absent. At five o'clock about five hun- 
dred guests sat down at the tables, De Witt Clinton, 
the mayor, presiding. " The room had the appear- 
ance of a marine palace," said an eye-witness. It 
was colonnaded around with masts of ships en- 
twined with laurels, and having the national flags of 
the world. Every table had a ship in miniature with 
the American flag displayed. On the wall was a 
mainsail of a ship, and when the third toast, " Our 
Navy," was given, with three cheers, this sail was 
furled, revealing " an immense transparent painting 
of the three naval engagements in which Hull, 
Jones, and Decatur were respectively engaged." 
Too great to be spoiled, Decatur still remained the 
quiet, simple hero, before whose eyes were spelled 
two words — Country and Duty; the one he lived 
to serve, the other to fulfil. And, alas ! he died a 
victim to that curious, strained sense of honor that 
kept men demanding explanations, and led them to 
shoot one another under God's sky, surrounded by 
their friends, in a duel to the death. He was killed 
by Commodore Barron at Bladensburg, New Jersey, 
on March 22d, 1820. Commodore Bainbridge was 
Decatur's second, and he, with others, had made 
many ineffectual attempts to avert the unfortunate 
meeting. 



V 

THE "CONSTITUTION" AND THE "JAVA" 
[December 29th, 181 2] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE 



WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE, commodore, 
was one of those commanders who 
were graduated from the merchant ser- 
vice to take high place in the navy of our country. 

Owing to his own personal qualifications and 
character, he became renowned. Bainbridge was 
born at Princeton, New Jersey, May 7th, 1774. He 
was descended from ancestors of high standing, who 
had for several generations been residents of the 
State in which he was born, his father being a 
prominent physician, who, shortly after the birth of 
William, his fourth son, removed to New York. As 
a boy Bainbridge conceived a great love for the sea ; 
and although under the care of his grandfather, 
John Taylor, he had been educated carefully for a 
mercantile pursuit, his desires and importunities 
were gratified, and at the age of fifteen he was 
placed on board a merchantman about to sail from 
the port of Philadelphia. 

In order to test him, he was given the berth of a 
common sailor before the mast. Strong and agile, 
with his natural aptitude and born courage, it was 
not long before he began to show what he was 
made of. After his fourth voyage he was promoted 
to the rank of first mate on board a vessel trading 



74 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

between this country and Holland. During this 
voyage a mutiny arose which Bainbridge and the 
captain put down, although there were seven men 
against them. For this act, and in recognition of 
his skill as a navigator and practical seaman, he was 
given command of this same vessel at the early age 
of nineteen. 

Bainbridge as a young man was not foolhardy, 
but he was of that stamp that brooked no interfer- 
ence with his rights, and allowed no insult to pass 
by unnoticed. While in command of the Hope, a 
little vessel of about one hundred and forty tons' 
burden, mounting four guns and having a crew of 
eleven men, he refused to stop at the hail of an 
English schooner; whereat the latter fired at him, 
and Bainbridge, probably to the Englishman's great 
astonishment, replied so briskly with his little broad- 
side that the commander of the schooner actually 
surrendered, although his force consisted of eight 
guns and thirty men. Several were killed and 
wounded, and his vessel so much injured in the rig- 
ging and hull that he hailed Bainbridge, asking what 
the latter proposed doing with him. This was in 
the year 1796. There was no war between this 
country and England, and Bainbridge contented 
himself by calling the following message through 
his trumpet : " I have no use for you. Go about 
your business, and report to your masters if they 
want my ship they must either send a greater force 
or a more skilful commander." 



THE "constitution" AND THE "JAVA" 75 

A few days after this event, while on the home- 
ward voyage, the Hope was stopped by a heavily 
armed British frigate, and one of her crew, an 
American, was taken out of her on the pretence 
of his being a Scotchman. Bainbridge offered to 
make oath to the contrary, but nevertheless the man 
was impressed. Within the same week Bainbridge 
fell in with an English brig much larger than his 
own ship, and, surprising her by rowing alongside 
with an armed boat's crew, he took from her one of 
the English sailors, leaving this message: "Captain 

may report that Captain William Bainbridge 

has taken one of His Majesty's subjects in retalia- 
tion for a seaman taken from the American ship 
Hope by Lieutenant Norton of the Indefatigable 
razee commanded by Sir Edward Pellew." 

A contemporary adds : " The captured seaman 
received good wages and was discharged just as 
soon as he reached an American port, in no way 
dissatisfied with the service into which he had thus 
been forced." 

Bainbridge 's action in these small affairs attracted 
the notice of the Secretary of the Navy, and early 
in 1798 he was given the command of the Retalia- 
tion, a small vessel lately taken from the French by 
the elder Decatur. In the fall of the year the Re- 
taliation, in company with the Norfolk and the 
Montezuma, two little vessels of about the same 
size, sailed for the West Indies, the squadron being 
under the command of Commodore Murray. Off 



76 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

the island of Guadeloupe, in the month of Novem- 
ber, three sail were discovered to the eastward that 
were supposed to be English. At the same moment 
two other vessels were sighted to the westward. 
Commodore Murray sailed for the latter in company 
with the Norfolk, while Bainbridge was ordered to | 

reconnoitre the three sails first sighted. Unfortu- 
nately they proved to be French, and, having the 
weather-gage, they closed with the Retaliation and 
ordered her to strike. As both of them were frig- 
ates, one being L'lnsurgent and the other the 
Volontier, there was nothing for the young captain 
to do but to comply. The French commander, St. 
Laurent, declined to take Bainbridge's sword, gal- 
lantly observing that, as he had no opportunity to 
fight, he should prefer that he would retain it. At 
once both frigates set out in chase of the Montezuma 
and Norfolk; and L Insurgent, outsailing the other 
Frenchman, was almost within firing distance of the 
two American ships when St. Laurent asked their 
force. The deception that Bainbridge practised, 
under the circumstances, was entirely pardonable ; 
but in his reply he gave full swing to his imagina- 
tion, and overstated the American armament by ex- 
actly doubling it, stating that the Americans were 
armed with 28-pounders and full of men. At once 
L' Insurgent was recalled from the chase, much to 
the chagrin of her captain, who stated that les 
Americains did not carry a gun heavier than six 
pounds, for he had been close enough to see them. 



THE "constitution" AND THE "JAVA" // 

St. Laurent forgave Bainbrldge the ruse, and treated 
him with great consideration. 

After being in prison for some time, owing to 
negotiations, Bainbridge was sent to the United 
States in his own vessel, which was filled with lib- 
erated American prisoners. 

Upon his return to his country he was promoted to 
the rank of master-commander, and put in command 
of the Norfolk, the ship he had saved. For over 
a year he cruised in the West Indies, meeting with 
many adventures, of which there is not space here 
to tell, and in 1800, at the age of twenty-six, he was 
given the highest rank then in our navy, that of 
captain, and appointed to the command of the 
George Washington, with the duty, much against his 
grain, before him, of carrying tribute to the Bey of 
Algiers. He fulfilled this mission; but there was 
not an end of it, as he was forced by circumstances 
to place his vessel at the disposal of the barbaric 
potentate, and to conduct a mission for him — no less 
than carrying an ambassador and his suite, number- 
ing some two hundred persons, to Constantinople, 
the Bey wishing to conciliate the government of the 
Sublime Porte. 

Despite his remonstrances, Bainbridge was com- 
pelled to do this, or the safety of every American in 
Algiers would have been in jeopardy, in addition to 
which the Bey declared he would immediately make 
war upon the United States. This disagreeable 
duty was performed, and the George Washington was 



78 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

the first vessel to fly the flag of the United States 
under the walls of Constantinople. The stars and 
stripes had never been seen there before ; and as the 
name United States signified nothing to the gov- 
ernor of the Porte, Bainbridge had to explain that 
he came from the New World that Columbus had 
discovered. 

On the 2ist of January, 1801, Bainbridge was 
again in Algiers. He declined, however, to anchor 
in the harbor, as it was evident that the wily Bey was 
not to be trusted. Later in this year Bainbridge was 
transferred from the command of the George Wash- 
ington to the Essex, which was one of a squadron of 
four vessels, consisting of the President, the Phila- 
delphia, and the schooner Enterprise, under the com- 
mand of Commodore Richard Dale, whose object 
was to protect American merchant ships from the 
depredation of the Tripolitan corsairs. Bainbridge 
was employed convoying merchantmen through the 
Strait of Gibraltar until the spring of 1802, when, 
his vessel being in need of repairs, he was ordered 
home. At once he was appointed to the command 
of the Philadelphia, to take up again the service he 
had left. On the 26th of August, not far from the 
strait, Bainbridge fell in with two suspicious sail — 
one a brig, and the other, apparently, one of the hated 
corsairs. He hailed them, and found that the brig 
was an American, and the other a Moorish vessel — 
the Meshtoha. Searching the latter, he found the 
officers and the crew of the brig under the hold, 



THE "CONSTITUTION AND THE "JAVA" 79 

they having been captured nine days before. He 
retook the brig, placed her crew once more on board 
of her, and made a prize of the Tripolitan. This capt- 
ure was a decided check to Moorish depredations. 
On the 2ist of October, while Bainbridge was cruis- 
ing off the harbor of Tripoli, sailing after one of the 
pirates, he unfortunately ran on a ledge of rock that 
was not down on the map which he possessed. All 
efforts to force the Philadelphia off the reef were un- 
successful, although everything was done to accom- 
plish this ; and after being subjected for five hours 
to the fire of numerous gunboats, a council of officers 
was called, and it was decided to surrender the ship 
as the only means of preserving the lives of her peo- 
ple. After this followed the long confinement, dur- 
ing which Bainbridge saw from his prison-cell the at- 
tempts of the American fleet under Preble to rescue 
him, and the destruction of the Philadelphia at last. 
Shortly before the peace was made he was allowed 
to visit Preble's fleet, under pledge of his word of 
honor to return, although the Bashaw exacted that 
he should leave a hostage. He returned to his con- 
finement, unable to effect conclusions satisfactory to 
the Turk and to Commodore Preble; but in 1805 
the Tripolitan s gave in, the prisoners were exchanged 
after their nineteen months of painful captivity, and 
Bainbridsre returned to the United States, where he 
was greeted with the warmest sympathy and ex- 
onerated for the loss of the Philadelphia by a Court 
of Inquiry. After making successful cruises in va- 



80 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

rious commands, Bainbridge, being in America at 
the time war was considered imminent between this 
country and England, hastened to Washington and 
appeared before the Cabinet, and, with Commodore 
Stewart, successfully urged the rehabilitation of our 
little navy, that, owing to the mistaken policy then 
in force, had been allowed to fall into sad decay. 
Delighted at the result, he returned to Boston, where 
he took command of the navy-yard at Charlestown, 
which position he held at the time of the declara- 
tion of war against Great Britain in 1812. 

But, to quote from the American Naval Biography, 
by John Frost, " it is not to be supposed that one so 
adventurous as Bainbridge could be satisfied to re- 
main on shore comparatively inactive when danger 
and glory were to be courted on the sea." Applying 
for the command of a frigate, the Constellation, 38, 
was placed at his service; but his arrangements 
were not completed when Captain Hull arrived in 
Boston harbor in the Constitution, after his victory 
over the Guerri^re. Owing to some private affairs 
that demanded his immediate attention, Hull was 
obliged to resign his command, and Bainbridge, at 
his own request, was transferred to " Old Ironsides." 
•The Essex and the Hornet also were placed under 
his orders, the former under command of Captain 
David Porter, and the latter under the brave Law- 
rence. On October 26th, 181 2, the Hornet and the 
Constitution sailed out to sea, bound for the Cape 
Verd Islands. The Essex, then being in the Dela- 



THE "constitution" AND THE "JAVA" 8 1 

ware, was ordered to join them there ; but circum- 
stances prevented her from carrying this out, al- 
though Porter did his best to find his superior 
officer and report. 

Thus we find, in the latter part of December, i8i 2, 
the old frigate Constitution cruising in southern 
waters off the coast of Brazil. Her brave little con- 
sort, the Hornet, she had left blockading the Bonne 
Citoyenne^ a British sloop of war, in the harbor of 
Bahia. Every day the Hornet dared the Englishman 
to leave her anchorage and meet her, broadside to 
broadside, in the open sea beyond the neutral limits 
and the protection of Brazilian guns. Writes Captain 
Lawrence of the Yankee sloop to Captain Green 
of the Bonne Citoyen7ie: " I pledge my honor that 
neither the Constitution nor any other American 
vessel shall interfere." 

And, as if to emphasize this announcement, the 
Constitution spread her sails and sailed off to the 
southward, Bainbridge's last message to the watching 
Lawrence being, " May glory and success attend 
you !" But Captain Green was prudent; the English 
vessel kept to the harbor with her load of specie and 
her superior armament, and Bainbridge it was who 
won " the glory and success." Surely the Constitu- 
tion was launched on a lucky day. About sixty 
hours after leaving the Island of San Salvador be- 
hind her, the Constitution was again clearing decks 
for action, and the men were cheering as they 
jumped to the guns. The following account is 

6 



82 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

compiled from the Constitution s log and Commo- 
dore Bainbridge's diary : 

It was the 29th of December; the vessel was in 
13'' S. latitude and 38° W. longitude, about ten 
leagues distant from the coast of Brazil. It was 9 
A.M. when two strange sails were discovered on her 
weather bow. At 10 the strange sails were discov- 
ered to be ships. One of them stood in for the land; 
the other stood offshore towards the Constitution. 
At 10 Commodore Bainbridge tacked ship to the 
northward and westward, and stood for the sail ap- 
proaching him. At 1 1 A.M. he tacked to the south- 
ward and eastward, hauling up the mainsail and 
taking in the royals. At 11.30 made the private 
signal for the day, which was not answered; then 
the commodore set mainsail and royals, to entice the 
strange sail off from the neutral ground, and separate 
her from the sail in company, which, however, was 
not necessary, as the other, with everything drawing, 
was making up the coast. 

At 12 the American ensign and pendant were 
hoisted on board the Co7istitution. At fifteen min- 
utes past 12 the strange sail hoisted an English 
ensign, and displayed a signal at her mainmast. 

At a quarter-past one, the ship in sight proving 
to be an English frigate, and being sufficiently dis- 
tant from land. Commodore Bainbridge ordered the 
mainsails and royals to be taken in, tacked ship, and 
stood for the enemy, who soon bore down with an 
intention of raking the Constitution^ which the 



THE "CONSTITUTION" BEGINNING THE ACTION 




f 



^rt^wjpi.. 



THE "constitution" AND THE "JAVA" 83 

latter avoided by wearing. At 2 p.m. the British 
ship was within half a mile of the Constitution, and 
to windward. She now hauled down her colors, ex- 
cept a union-jack at the mizzenmast-head. This in- 
duced Commodore Bainbridge to order a gun to be 
fired ahead of her, to make her show her colors. 
This was succeeded by the whole of the Constitu- 
tio7ts broadside. Immediately the enemy hoisted 
colors, and at once returned the fire. A general 
action now commenced with round and grape shot. 
But the British frigate kept at a much greater dis- 
tance than the commodore wished. He, however, 
could not bring her to closer action without exposing 
his vessel to be several times raked. Both vessels 
for some time manoeuvred to obtain a position that 
would enable them to rake or avoid being raked, 
and it was evident that the Englishman was cautious 
and well manned. In the early part of the engage- 
ment the wheel of the Constitution was shot away; 
but so well was she handled from below that her 
movements were hardly retarded. Commodore Bain- 
bridg^e now determined to close with the British 
vessel, notwithstanding in so doing he should expose 
his ship to be several times raked. He ordered the 
fore and main sails to be set, and luffed up close to 
the enemy in such manner that his jib-boom got 
foul of the Englishman's mizzen-rigging. About 
3 o'clock the head of the British vessel's bowsprit 
and jib-boom were shot away, and in the space of 
an hour her foremast went by the board ; her main- 



84 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

topmast just above the cap, her gaff and spanker- 
boom were shot away, and her mainmast went 
nearly by the board. 

About 4 o'clock, the fire of the British vessel being 
completely silenced, and her colors in the main-rig- 
ging being down, she was supposed to have struck. 
The courses of the Constitution were now hauled on 
board, to shoot ahead, in order to repair her rigging, 
which was very much cut. The British vessel was 
left in bad condition ; but her flag was soon after 
discovered to be still flying. The Constitzttion, how- 
ever, hove to, to repair some of her damages. About 
a quarter of an hour after, the mainmast of the Brit- 
ish vessel went by the board. At a quarter of five or 
thereabouts the Constitution wore, and stood for the 
British vessel, and got close to her athwart her bows, 
in a very effectual position for raking, when she 
very prudently struck her flag. Had she suffered 
the broadside to rake her, her additional loss would 
have been extremely great, for she lay quite an un- 
manageable wreck upon the water. 

After the British frigate struck, the Constitution 
wore, and reefed topsails. One of the only two re- 
maining boats out of eight was then hoisted out, 
and Lieutenant Parker of the Constitution was sent 
to take possession of the frigate. She proved to be 
His Britannic Majesty's frigate Java, rating 38 but 
carrying 49 guns. She was manned by upwards of 
four hundred men, and was commanded by Captain 
Lambert, a very distinguished naval officer. He was 



THE "constitution" AND THE "JAVA" 85 

mortally wounded. The action continued, from the 
time the firing commenced till the time it ceased, 
one hour and fifty-five minutes. 

^\\Q Java was on fire and leaking; nothing could 
have saved her or the souls on board if the Constitu- 
tio7i had been disabled. 

The Constihitioii had 9 men killed and 25 wounded. 
T\-\Q Java had 60 killed and 10 1 certainly wounded; 
but by a letter written on board the Constitution 
by one of the officers of 'Oa^ Java, and accidentally 
found, it is evident her loss must have been much 
greater. The unknown writer states it to have 
been 60 killed and 1 70 wounded. 

The Java had her own full complement of men, 
and upwards of one hundred supernumeraries for 
British ships in the East Indies. Her force in 
number of men, at the commencement of the action, 
was probably much greater than the officers of the 
Constittition were enabled to ascertain. Her offi- 
cers were extremely cautious in giving out the num- 
ber of her crew, but by her quarter bill she had one 
man more stationed at each gun than the Constitu- 
tion. The Java was an important ship. She had 
been fitted out in the most complete manner to carry 
Lieutenant-General Hislop and staff to Bomba}^ of 
which place he had been appointed governor, and 
several naval ofiicers for different vessels in the 
East Indies. She had despatches for St. Helena, 
the Cape of Good Hope, and for every British es- 
tablishment in the Indian and Chinese seas. She 



86 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

had in her hold copper for a 74 and for two brigs, 
building at Bombay. 

The great distance from the United States and 
the disabled state of the Java precluded any at- 
tempt being made to bring her to a home port. 
The commodore therefore determined to burn her; 
she was set on fire, and the Co7istitution sailed away. 
Shortly after, dark the British ship blew up. The 
prisoners were all landed at San Salvador and pa- 
roled, and, sad to tell, the commander of the Java^ 
Captain Lambert, died soon after he was put on 
shore. The British officers paroled were: i lieu- 
tenant-general, I major, and i captain of land ser- 
vice ; in the naval service, i post-captain, i master 
and commander, 5 lieutenants, 3 lieutenants of ma- 
rines, I surgeon, 2 assistant surgeons, i purser, 15 
midshipmen, i gunner, i boatswain, i master, i car- 
penter, and 2 captain's clerks; likewise, 323 petty 
officers, seamen, and marines — making altogether 
361 men; besides 9 Portuguese seamen liberated, 
and 8 passengers, private characters, who were per- 
mitted to land without restraint. 

Lieutenant Aylwin, of the ConstitiUion, was se- 
verely wounded during the action. When the 
boarders were called to repel boarders, he mounted 
the quarter-deck hammock cloths, and, in the act 
of firing his pistol at the enemy, he received a ball 
through his shoulder. Notwithstanding the se- 
verity of his wound, he continued at his post until 
the enemy struck. A few days afterwards, when an 



THE " CONSTITUTION " AND THE " JAVA " 87 

engagement was expected with a ship, which after- 
wards proved to be the Hornet, he left his bed and 
repaired to quarters, though laboring under a con- 
siderable debility, and under the most excruciating 
pain. He died on the 28th of January, at sea. The 
followins: is the official account that Commodore 
Bainbridge made to the Secretary of the Navy. It 
is as concise and dramatic as all the reports of our 
naval heroes were in those days, and as he wrote 
Bainbridge was suffering from serious wounds and 
in danger of his life : 

" I have the honor to inform you that on the 29th of December, 
at 2 P.M., in south latitude 13° 6', west longitude 38°, and about ten 
leagues distant from the coast of Brazil, I fell in with, and captured, 
His Britannic Majesty's frigate Java, of 49 guns, and upwards of 
four hundred men, commanded by Captain Lambert, a very distin- 
guished officer. The action lasted one hour and fifty-five minutes, 
in which time the enemy was completely dismantled, not having 
a spar of any kind standing. 

" The loss on board the Constitutioii was 9 killed and 25 wounded. 
The enemy had 60 killed and loi wounded (among the latter, Cap- 
tain Lambert, mortally), but, by the enclosed letter, written on board 
this ship by one of the officers of \S\q. Java, and accidentally found, 
it is evident that the enemy's wounded must have been much 
greater than as above stated, and who must have died of their 
wounds previous to their being removed. (The letter stated 60 
killed and 170 wounded.) ... 

" Should I attempt to do justice, by representation, to the brave 
and good conduct of my officers and crew, I should fail in the at- 
tempt ; therefore, suffice it to say that the whole of their conduct 
was such as to meet my highest encomiums. I beg leave to recom- 
mend the officers, particularly, to the notice of the government, as, 
also, the unfortunate seamen who were wounded, and the families 
of those brave men who fell in action. 

" The great distance from our own coast, and the perfect wreck 



88 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

we made of the enemy's frigate, forbade every idea of attempting 
to take her to the United States. I had, therefore, no alternative 
but burning her, which I did on the 31st, after receiving all the 
prisoners and their baggage, which was very hard work, only hav- 
ing two boats left out of eight, and not one left on board the Java. 
" On blowing up the frigate Java I proceeded to St. Salvador, 
where I landed all the prisoners on their parole, to return to Eng- 
land, and there remain until regularly exchanged, and not to serve 
in their professional capacities in any place or in any manner what- 
soever against the United States of America until their exchange 
shall be effected." 

Upon the return of Commodore Bainbridge to 
the United States he was everywhere received with 
the greatest joy. Congress voted $50,000 to him 
and his crew, and ordered a gold medal to be struck 
for him and silver ones for each of his ofBcers. 
New York presented him with the freedom of the 
city, and many banquets were given in his honor. 

A pathetic and dramatic incident occurred when 
the wounded Captain Lambert was being moved off 
the ship at San Salvador. He lay on the deck suf- 
fering intense pain, when Bainbridge, supported by 
two officers, approached. Bending down with great 
difficulty, he placed Captain Lambert's side-arms on 
the cot on which the latter lay, saying that the 
sword of so brave a man should never be taken from 
him ; then the two wounded commanders grasped 
hands in mutual respect and admiration. The cor- 
respondence between Lieutenant- General Hislop 
and Commodore Bainbridge, after Lambert's death, 
shows plainly the lofty spirit that existed then be- 
tween great-minded enemies. 



VI 

THE "COMET"— PRIVATEER 

[January 14th, 1813] 






DURING the war of 1812 the American pri- 
vateers sent home to United States ports 
so many hundreds of British vessels that 
the printed Hst makes quite a showing by itself. 
The names of the prizes taken, their tonnage and 
value, were published in Niless Weekly Register^ of 
Baltimore, and each week during the progress of the 
war the number grew, until it seemed that the stock 
of Laughmg Lassies^ Bounchig Besses, Arabellas, 
Lords something-or-other, Ladies this or Coiintesses 
of that, must surely be exhausted. In they came to 
Baltimore, to New York, or Boston by the scores — 
brigs and barks, schooners and ships, sloops and 
transports. Some were next to worthless, some 
were valuable, and some were veritable floating 
mines of wealth ; some were heavily armed and had 
been captured after fierce fighting; others had been 
picked up like ripe fruit and sent home under prize- 
masters. Each one, however, was stamped with 
the seal of her captor, who might be cruising any- 
where from the China Sea to the English Channel. 
Eager for racing, chasing, or fighting, the American 
privateers were watching the highways of British 
commerce. What did they care for armed consorts 
or guard-ships .'* They could show a clean pair of 



92 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

heels to the fastest cruisers that carried the iFcd 
cross of St. George, or turn to and fight out of all 
proportion to their appearance or size — and this lat- 
ter was proved true in many well-recorded instances. 
They were the kestrels and the game-cocks of the 
sea. The names of some of them were familiar to 
every school -boy eighty -odd years ago — Revenge, 
Atlas, You7ig Eagle, Mojitgomery, Teazer, Decatur, 
General Armstrong, Comet. Here were some tight 
little craft that caused their powder-monkeys fairly 
to smell of prize-money on their return from each 
successful cruise. 

All of these vessels were oversparred, overarmed, 
and overmanned. It was the privateersman's busi- 
ness to take risks, and many paid the penalty for 
rashness; but their fearlessness and impudence 
were often most astounding, and their self-reliance 
actually superb. 

Up to the end of the first year of the war Mary- 
land alone had sent out more than forty armed ves- 
sels, and, as a writer in the Weekly Register naively 
remarks, " not one up to date has been even in dan- 
ger of being captured, though frequently chased by 
British vessels of war." 

But to come to the affair of the Comet, privateer, 
of Baltimore. Her name had become familiar all 
along the Atlantic coast, her "winnings" were anch- 
ored in almost every harbor, and she could have 
the pick of the seamen lucky enough to be ashore 
at any place where she put in. Her 'tween-decks 



THE "comet" — PRIVATEER 93 

were crowded with extra crews and prize-masters to 
man her captures when she sailed out again. 

The Comet was commanded by Captain Boyle, 
an intrepid sailor, and a man liked and trusted by 
his crew of 120 well -trained tars. She was as 
handy as a whip, and sailed like a cup - defender. 
She carried 6 guns in a broadside, a swivel, and a 
gun amidships. 

It was on the 9th of January, 181 3, that Captain 
Boyle spoke a Portuguese coasting- vessel which 
had just left the harbor of Pernambuco, Brazil, and 
learned that in the harbor were three English 
vessels loaded and ready to sail for Europe — one 
large armed ship and two armed brigs. 

Upon hearing this welcome news Captain Boyle 
shortened sail, and tacked back and forth for five 
days, waiting and watching. On the 14th of the 
month his sharp lookout was rewarded by the sight 
of not three but four sail coming offshore before 
the wind. The Comet sheered away to the south- 
ward, and lay by, to give the strangers an oppor- 
tunity of passing her. When they had done so, 
she put after them. It was quite late in the after- 
noon, a tremendous sea was running, and a freshen- 
ing breeze lifted the Comet up the sides of the huge 
waves and raced her down into the hollows. She 
overhauled the other vessels as if they had been 
anchored. They kept close together, rising and 
then sinking hulls out of sight in the great seas. 
They evidently had no fear of the little vessel bear- 



94 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

ing down upon them, for they made no effort to 
spread their lighter sails. The Comet was under a 
press of canvas, and the water was roaring and tum- 
bling every now and then over her forward rails. 

At six o'clock, or thereabouts, the reason for the 
leisurely movements of the chase was discovered — 
one of the vessels was seen to be a large man-of-war 
brig. She was hanging back, evidently awaiting 
the American's approach. The speed of the Comet 
was not lessened, not a stitch was taken in, but 
quickly the guns were loaded with round shot and 
grape, and the decks were cleared for action. Then 
Captain Boyle hoisted the American flag. The 
other hoisted Portuguese colors. As the Comet 
sheered up close, the stranger hailed and requested 
the privilege of sending a boat on board, saying he 
wished to speak with the American captain on a 
matter of importance. 

Accordingly, the Comet hove to, and her com- 
mander received the Portuguese officer a few min- 
utes later at the companion-way. The conversation, 
in view of subsequent proceedings, must have been 
extremely interesting. The officer was a little 
taken aback when he saw the men standing stripped 
to the waist about the guns, the look of determina- 
tion and the man -o'- war appearance everywhere. 
But he doffed his hat, and informed Captain Boyle 
sententiously that the vessel he had just left be- 
longed to His Majesty of Portugal, that she carried 
twenty 32-pounders and a crew of 165 men. 



THE "COMET" PASSING THE ENGLISH VESSELS 



THE "comet" — PRIVATEER 95 

Captain Boyle replied that he had admired her 
appearance greatly. 

The Portuguese officer then went on to say that 
the three other vessels ahead were English, and 
were under the protection of the commander of 
his brig. 

" By what right?" answered the captain of the 
Comet. "This is an American cruiser. We are 
on the high seas, the highway of all nations, and 
surely it belongs to America as much as to the 
King of Great Britain or the King of Portugal." 

The officer upon this asked to see the CoTnet's 
authority from her government. This Captain 
Boyle courteously showed to him. After reading 
the papers carefully, the officer began to advise the 
American captain in a manner that provoked the 
following reply : " I told him," writes Boyle, in the 
log-book of the Comet, " that I was determined to 
exercise the authority I had, and capture those ves- 
sels if I could. He said that he should be sorry if 
anything disagreeable took place ; that they were 
ordered to protect them, and should do so. I an- 
swered him that I should equally feel regret that 
anything disagreeable should occur; that if it did 
he would be the aggressor, as I did not intend to 
fire upon him first ; that if he did attempt to op- 
pose me or to fire upon me when trying to take 
those English vessels, we must try our respective 
strengths, as I was well prepared for such an 
event and should not shrink from it. He then in- 



96 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

formed me that those vessels were armed and very 
strong. I told him that I valued their strength but 
little, and would very soon put it to the test." 

What a fine old fighter this Baltimore captain 
must have been ! Here were four vessels, each of 
the three smaller ones as large as his own, and one 
nearly twice as large, against him ; the Portuguese 
mounting twenty guns, the English ship fourteen, 
and the smaller brigs ten guns apiece. Fifty-four 
-guns against fourteen. But the American was un- 
daunted, and the Portuguese lieutenant rowed back 
to his ship. 

Shortly afterwards the brig hailed again, asking 
Captain Boyle to lower his boat and come on board. 

" It is growing too dark !" shouted Captain Boyle 
through his speaking-trumpet, and he squared his 
yards and made all sail for the nearest English 
vessel — the big ship. 

So fast a sailer was the Comet and so quick in 
stays that she could shuttle back and forth through 
the little fleet in a manner that, to say the least, must 
have been confusing to the others. The moon was 
now coming out bright as the sun went down ; but 
little of daylight was left. 

The Comet came up handily with the English ship 
(the brigs were sailing close by), and Boyle ordered 
her to back her main-topsail or he would fire a broad- 
side into her. So great was the headway of the 
privateer, however, that she shot past, and had to 
luff about the other's bows, Boyle again hailing, 



THE " COMET — PRIVATEER 97 

and saying he was coming down on the other 
side. 

The man-of-war brig had crowded on all sail, and 
was hard after the American ; but the latter now let 
drive her broadside at the ship and one of her smaller 
consorts, tacked quickly, and then found the man-of- 
war close alongside. The Portuguese, disregarding 
the policy of "minding one's own business," opened 
up her broadside upon the American. The Comet re- 
turned this with tremendous effect, and, tacking, again 
let go her starboard battery at the third Englishman, 
who was now closing in. Nothing but bad gunnery 
and good sailing must have saved the daring little 
vessel at this moment. But she loaded and fired, 
and the enemy appeared to be confused and fright- 
ened. The Comet stuck close to the English vessels, 
letting go whole broadsides into them at point-blank 
distance, and firing at the man-of-war whenever she 
came in range. The British vessels separated at 
last to give their " protector " a better chance, but 
it availed them very little. By the time the Portu- 
guese was ready to fire the Comet had spun about on 
her heel and was out of danger. It was the clever 
boxer in a crowd of clumsy bumpkins. At eleven 
o'clock the big ship surrendered, being cut almost to 
pieces and quite unmanageable. It was broad moon- 
light ; but the moon would soon go down, and in the 
ensuing darkness Captain Boyle feared the others 
might escape him. As soon as the ship hauled down 
her colors he gave the first brig a broadside that 
7 



98 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

ripped her bulwarks and cut away her running- 
gear. Immediately down came her flag, and she 
surrendered also. She proved to be the Bowes, of 
Liverpool. 

The sea was yet running very high, but a boat 
was manned and lowered away with a prize -crew, 
and made straight for the latest capture. When 
the heavily laden boat was a short distance from the 
Comet, around the bows of the captured ship came 
the man-of-war. She fired a broadside at the row- 
boat, and nearly swamped it there and then; half full 
of water, it returned to the Comet. Taking the boat's 
crew on board once more, the privateer headed for 
the Portuguese. Captain Boyle's blood was now 
up with a vengeance, and in the hot exchange that 
followed the bumptious foreigner had so much the 
worst of it that he withdrew from the engagement, 
and left the third English vessel to her fate. Like 
the others, the last hauled down her flag to save 
herself from further punishment. The situation 
was unusual. It was almost pitch-dark, and, heav- 
ing about to leeward, the three captured vessels were 
hardly discernible. The Bowes was taken possession 
of, she being the nearest, and the captain of the ship 
George, of Liverpool, reported that he could hardly 
keep his vessel afloat. The other brig, the Gambier, 
of Hull, was in much the same condition. Captain 
Boyle determined to stand by them both until day- 
break. 

As soon as it was light, it was seen that the little 



THE "comet" — PRIVATEER 99 

fleet had drifted in towards land, the wind having 
changed during the early morning. The Portu- 
guese had once more joined them, and made a feint 
of desiring to fight again. The Comet sailed to meet 
her; but the brig turned tail, signalled the George 
and the Gambler to make for shore, and followed as 
quickly as she could. Captain Boyle did not over- 
take them, and the three reached Pernambuco in 
safety — the ship in a sinking condition, the brig like- 
wise, and the cockpit of the man-of-war, which was 
badly cut up below and aloft, filled with dead and 
wounded. The Comet and the Bowes reached the 
United States in safety, the former making several 
more important captures, and sailing through the 
entire English blockading squadron in the Chesa- 
peake Bay to her wharf in the city of Baltimore. 



MTl 



VII 

THE "HORNET" AND THE ''PEACOCK" 
[February 24th, 1813] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BV CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE 



A 



FTER Commodore Bainbridge sailed south- 
ward from Bahia on the cruise in which 
he fell in with and captured His Britan- 
nic Majesty's ixigdXe Java, Captain Lawrence of the 
United States sloop Hornet had hoped to coax the 
Bo7ine Citoyenne, the English armed ship he was 
blockading, to leave the safe moorings which she 
kept so closely in the harbor of San Salvador. Cap- 
tain Lawrence prayed each day that she might vent- 
ure out and give his gunners a mark worthy of 
their skill. One morning, as the little Hornet was 
lifting and tugging at her anchor in the rough 
water at the entrance 'to the outer harbor, keep- 
ing a watchful eye on the spars of the Bonne Cito- 
yenne and on those of another British packet of 12 
guns that lay well inshore, a huge cloud of canvas 
came in sight to the eastward. Spar and sail she 
rose out of the horizon sky, until it was plainly 
seen that she was a line - of - battle ship flying the 
English flag. The Montagu (74) had heard the 
news of the Bonne Citoyennes plight, word having 
been brought to her as she lay in the harbor of 
Rio Janeiro. Immediately she had set sail for San 
Salvador to raise the blockade. Reluctantly Cap- 
tain Lawrence, on sight of her, got up his anchor 



I04 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

and slipped into the harbor. He did not stay there 
long, however, and, after tacking about some time, 
escaped to sea that same night at nine o'clock. 
There were no ships of the line in the American 
navy at that time, and, perforce, the only thing left 
for any of our cruisers to do was to give those of 
the enemy the widest berth. So Lawrence, in the 
Hornet, shifted his cruising-grounds and went out 
into blue water. On the 4th of February, 18 13, he 
captured the British brig Resolution, of 10 guns, 
and, not caring to man her, he took out $23,000 in 
specie and set her on fire. Then for over a week 
the Hornet cruised to and fro off the coast of Maran- 
ham without sighting a single sail. On the 22d of 
February Lawrence stood for Demerara, and on the 
24th he discovered a brig off to leeward. At once 
he gave chase, but running into shallow water, and 
having no pilot, he had to haul offshore, much to 
his disgust, as the other vessel made her way in 
near the mouth of the Demerara River, and anchored 
close to a small fort about two and a half leagues 
from the outer bar, where the Hornet had been 
forced to come about. As the latter had done so, 
however, her lookout had discovered a vessel at 
anchor half-way in towards the shore. A peep 
through the glass showed her to be a brig of war 
with the English colors flying. Captain Lawrence 
determined to get at her ; but to do this he had to 
beat to windward to avoid a wide shoal on which 
the waves were breaking furiously. At 3 p.m., as 



THE "HORNET AND THE "PEACOCK 105 

he had about made up his mind that the vessel at 
anchor and the Hornet were surely to try conclu- 
sions, Lawrence discovered another sail on his 
weather-quarter and edging down towards him. 

In a few minutes over an hour the new-comer 
hoisted English colors also, and was seen to be a 
large man-o'-war brig. The Hornet cleared for 
action. As was usual in all naval actions when the 
wind was the sole motive power, both vessels 
manoeuvred for a time, the Hornet trying to win the 
advantage of the weather-gage from her antagonist. 
But do his best Lawrence could not get it until 
another hour had passed ; then finding that the 
Hornet was a better sailer than the English brig, he 
came about. The two vessels passed each other 
on different tacks at the distance of a few hundred 
feet — half pistol-shot. 

Up to this time not a gun had been fired in the 
affair. But as they came abreast they exchanged 
broadsides, the Englishman going high, but the 
Hornet's round and grape playing havoc with the 
enemy's lower rigging. The brig held on for a few 
minutes, and then Lawrence discovered her to be 
in the act of wearing. He seized his opportunity, 
bore up, and receiving the starboard broadside, 
which did him little damage, he took a position 
close under the brig's starboard quarter. So well 
directed was the vicious fire that was now poured 
into the English vessel that in less than fifteen 
minutes down came her flag. No sooner had it 



I06 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

reached the deck, however, when another crawled 
up in the fore-rigging. It was an ensign, union 
down ; the brig was sinking. The sea was heavy, 
and before a boat could be lowered down came the 
Englishman's main-mast. Lieutenant Shubrick, who 
had been on the Co7istitution when she captured 
the Guerriere and the Java, put out in one of the 
Hornefs boats, and soon reached the captured ves- 
sel's side, and found that she was H.B.M. brig Pea- 
cock, 2 2 guns, commanded by Captain William 
Peake, who had been killed by the last broadside 
from the Hornet. There was not one moment to 
lose ; six feet of water were in the hold, and the 
Peacock's decks were crowded with dead and 
wounded. She was settling fast. Her anchor was 
let go, and the Hornet coming up, let go hers also 
close alongside. Every endeavor was now made to 
save life ; the men who a few minutes before had 
been fighting one another pulled on the same rope 
together and manned the same boats. The Pea- 
cock's guns were thrown overboard ; such shot-holes 
as could be got at were plugged ; but the water 
gained despite the furious men at the pumps and 
the bailing at the hatchways. The Peacock was 
doomed. The body of Captain Peake was carried 
into his cabin and covered with the flag he had 
died so bravely defending, to sink with her — "a 
shroud and sepulchre worthy so brave a sailor." 
All but some of the slightly wounded had been re- 
moved, and there remained but a boat-load more to 



THK "peacock" iiND "HORNET" AT CLOSE QUARTERS 




^. H 






-^ 



5^ ■- ', 



l; 



1 1 



1 ^- ^ 



THE "HORNET AND THE "PEACOCK 10/ 

take off the lurching wreck, when she suddenly 
pitched forward and sank in five and a half fathoms, 
carrying down with her thirteen of her own crew 
and three American seamen — John Hart, Joseph 
Williams, and Hannibal Boyd. Fine old down- 
east names, mark you. 

A boat belonging to the Peacock broke away with 
four of her crew in it before the vessel sank. They 
probably tried to make their escape to land. In writ- 
ing about this little episode afterwards, Lawrence 
says, " I sincerely hope they reached the shore ; but 
from the heavy sea running at the time, the shattered 
state of the boat, and the difficulty of landing on the 
coast, I am fearful they were lost." Captain Law- 
rence's treatment of his prisoners was such as uni- 
formly characterized the officers of our navy, " who 
won by their magnanimity those whom they had 
conquered by their valor." 

The loss on board the Hornet, outside of the 
three seamen drowned, was trifling — one man killed 
and three wounded, two by the explosion of a car- 
tridge. The vessel received little or no damage. 
All the time that the action was being fought the 
other brig lay in full sight, about six miles off (she 
proved afterwards to have been L' Espi^gle, of i6 
guns), but she showed no desire to enter into the 
conflict. Thinking that she might wish to meet the 
Hornet later, Lawrence made every exertion to pre- 
pare his ship for a second action, and by nine o'clock 
a new set of sails was bent, wounded spars secured, 



I08 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

boats stowed away, and the Hornei was ready to 
fight again. At 2 a.m. she got under way, and 
stood to the westward and northward under easy 
sail. 

On mustering the next morning it was found that 
there were 277 souls on board, including the crew 
of the American brig Htmter, of Portland, Maine, 
captured by the Peacock a few days before. The 
latter was one of the finest vessels of her class in 
the English navy ; she was broader by five inches 
than the Hornet, but not so long by four feet. Her 
tonnage must have been about the same. Her crew 
consisted of 130 men. 

To quote from an account of the times which de- 
scribes the return of the victorious Hornet to the 
United States: "The ofiicers of the Peacock were 
so affected by the treatment they received from 
Captain Lawrence that on their arrival at New 
York they made grateful acknowledgment of it in 
the papers. To use their own phrase, ' They ceased 
to consider themselves prisoners.' Nor must we 
omit to mention a circumstance highly to the honor 
of the brave tars of the Hornet. Finding that the 
crew of the Peacock had lost all their clothing by 
the sudden sinking of their vessel, they made a sub- 
scription, and from their own chest supplied each 
man with two shirts and a blue jacket and trousers. 
Such may rough sailors be made when they have 
before them the example of high-minded men." 

It was not long before poor Lawrence was to be 



THE "hornet" and THE "PEACOCK' IO9 

borne on the shoulders of his enemies and laid to 
rest, with all honors, in a foreign soil, a last return 
of the courtesy he had extended to all those whom 
the fortunes of war had placed under his care and 
keeping. 



<l 



VIII 

THE "CHESAPEAKE" AND THE "SHANNON" 

[June ist, 1813] 



" Let shouts of victory for laurels won 
Give place to grief for Lawrence, Valor's son. 
The warrior who was e'er his country's pride 
Has for that country bravely, nobly died." 

— From "An Elegy in Remembrance of Jatnes Lawrence, Esquire" 
published in June, i8ij. 



NEW JERSEY claims the honor of being 
the birthplace of Captain James Lawrence, 
at one time the idol of the naval service. 
Captain Lawrence was born at Burlington, being the 
youngest son of John Lawrence, Esq. Although 
at the age of twelve he manifested a desire to be- 
come a sailor, his wish was not gratified until five 
years later, when, abandoning the study of law, he 
took up that of navigation, and received a warrant 
as midshipman on the 4th of September, 1798. 

He made one voyage on the ship Ganges, under 
Captain Tingey, and after two years of cruising in 
various vessels he was made an acting lieutenant 
on board the frigate Adams, where he continued 
until the reduction of the naval force began, and 
then, his appointment not being confirmed, he once 
more found himself a midshipman. 

Lawrence, like many a good officer, appeared to 
be continually at loggerheads with the department 
at Washington. He objected to this first reduction, 

8 



114 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

and in 1801 his objection was sustained, and he 
sailed to the Mediterranean as first Heutenant of the 
schooner Enterprise in 1803. All through the war 
with Tripoli he conducted himself with such bravery 
as to bring commendation from all his superiors. 
As an example of his spirit and fearlessness an 
incident is well worth quoting. After he had re- 
turned with Commodore Preble he was not allowed 
to rest long in idleness; again he was sent to the 
Mediterranean, for what reason it would be hard 
to state ; he was hastened away in command of 
one of the foolishly constructed gunboats that did 
not even rejoice in the dignity of possessing a 
name, being merely known on the register as " No. 
6." None of these vessels was qualified to take to 
the sea. They were built on the model of great row- 
boats, and wallowed and tossed and pitched, and 
behaved in every way that a vessel ought not to 
when under sail. The one big gun they carried 
amidships on deck rendered them top-heavy, and, as 
some one wrote at the time, " the leeway they gath- 
ered discounted the log." But Lawrence grimly 
accepted the duty assigned to him, and set out at 
once. A few months afterwards one of his brother 
officers wrote in a letter to a relation in the army, 
saying, " Lawrence has told me that when he went 
on board the gunboat he had not the faintest idea 
that he would ever arrive out to the Mediterranean 
in her, or indeed arrive anywhere else. He also told 
me that on the coast of Europe he met an English 



THE "CHESAPEAKE" AND THE "SHANNON II5 

frigate, the captain of which would not at first be- 
lieve that he had crossed the Atlantic in such a 
vessel." 

But he crossed safely, however, and cruised about 
in his cockle-shell for some sixteen months. Im- 
mediately after his return Lawrence was made first 
lieutenant of the frigate Constitution ; then trans- 
ferred to the schooner Vixen, of which he was given 
the command ; whence he went to the brig Argzcs^ 
and at last to the sloop Hornet. Twice he was sent 
to Europe in the latter with despatches to our min- 
isters. Upon the outbreak of the war Lawrence 
was yet in command of the Hornet, which was one 
of the squadron of five sail that set out under Com- 
modore Rodgers in the unsuccessful attempt to in- 
tercept the Jamaica fleet. 

Much upset in his mind by the promotion of a 
junior ofBcer over his head, only Lawrence's patri- 
otism and loyalty prevented him from resigning 
from the service. The Senate restored him to his 
proper number on the list, however, and he sailed 
with Commodore Bainbridge in the cruise to the 
south, from which he returned soon after the capt- 
ure of the Peacock. 

In all history it is customary to count the inci- 
dents of unsuccessful but heroic resistance to the 
honor and glory of the nation. The historians of 
Great Britain in all their works ric^htlv take this 
stand in detailing the actions between their vessels 
and those of the little navy of the United States. 



Il6 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

There is on record in our annals the story of an 
unsuccessful engagement that cannot but reflect 
credit on our naval officers and our flag. 

Jack Tars are more superstitious than any other 
class of men. They fear Friday, and are on the 
constant lookout for omens and portents. Give a 
ship an unlucky name and it counts against her 
in securing a good crew. The Chesapeake was 
an unlucky vessel. On the 2 2d of June, 1807, 
manned by a green crew under the command of 
Commodore Barron, she had left Hampton Roads. 
This was during the time that England was em- 
ploying her assumed " Right of Search," that led to 
the struggle five years later. 

Taken at a disadvantage, she was humiliated by 
being compelled to lower her flag to H. M. S. Leop- 
ard, after the latter had poured in several destruc- 
tive broadsides without return. The Chesapeake 
had three men killed and eighteen wounded, and 
her commander was forced to submit to the kid- 
napping of four alleged deserters from his crew. 
The vessel had proved herself a slow sailer, and had 
accomplished nothing in her cruises. In March, 
18 1 3, she was lying in Boston Harbor, her comple- 
ment^of men not filled and her armament incom- 
plete. 

Captain Lawrence, fearing that he might be ap- 
pointed to her, applied for the command of the Con- 
stihitioii. 

High-spirited and sensitive, he had taken offence 



THE "CHESAPEAKE" LEAVING THE HARBOR 



THE " CHESAPEAKE AND THE "SHANNON 11/ 

at the manner in which his request was received. 
The Secretary of the Navy entailed the condition 
that if neither Captain Porter nor Captain Evans 
applied for the command of " Old Ironsides," Law- 
rence could have her. Objecting to this treatment, 
he was given the appointment unconditionally ; but 
the next day, to his chagrin, he received a recall of 
the order, and, after some vexations, counter-instruc- 
tions to take command of the Chesapeake, then lying 
in Boston Roads. Lawrence was prejudiced against 
this ship, and disgruntled at his peculiar treatment ; 
but to his respectful remonstrances the Secretary of 
the Navy vouchsafed no reply, and the gallant officer 
pocketed his pride and went on board his unfortu- 
nate command. 

British vessels of war were a common sight from 
any hill along the New England coast. Outfitting 
at Halifax, they hovered about, and were in con- 
stant communication with one another, the small- 
er vessels seldom straying far from their towering 
guard-ships. 

While Lawrence was endeavoring to teach the 
green crew of the Chesapeake something of disci- 
pline and man-of-war customs, a strange sail boldly 
made in to the entrance of Boston Roads. 

She tacked about, flying signals of defiance. It 
was the Shannon (38), a prime vessel, magnificently 
equipped for the express purpose of meeting a 
Yankee frigate. She had an unusually numerous 
crew of picked men, thoroughly disciplined and well 



ii8 



NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 



officered. She was commanded by Captain Broke, 
a fearless and able officer, one of the best in the 
service of Great Britain — a man who feared no dan- 
ger, and fought with desire to gain reputation and 
glory. He had dismissed the Tenedos, line-of-battle 
ship, and wished to fight alone. 

In Low's Great Battles of the British Navy the 
author speaks of Captain Broke sending a formal 
challenge to the captain of the Chesapeake to come 
out and meet " ship to ship, to try the fortunes of 
our respective flags." The English writer adds that 
"the redoubtable Captain Lawrence was not back- 
ward in accepting the challenge." 

This challenge, a model of the stilted courtesy 
and frank gallantry of the day, was never received 
by the American commander, despite the statement. 
It might have made some difference, for it told the 
number of men, guns, and armament. 

To Captain Broke's honor be it said that he 
sought no favor and he had no fear. An American 
publication speaks in the following words : " It is to 
be deeply regretted that Captain Lawrence did not 
receive this gallant challenge, as it would have given 
him time to put his ship in proper order, and spared 
him the necessity of hurrying out in his unprepared 
condition to so formidable and momentous an en- 
counter." 

The English exploited in verse and song the vic- 
tory they had gained. A series of paintings and en- 
gravings representing different phases of the en- 



THE "CHESAPEAKE AND THE "SHANNON" II9 

gagement was designed by Captain R. H. King, 
R.N., and painted by Schetk)^ and dedicated to 
Captain Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, Bart, R.N., 
K.C.B. The King, on hearing the news of the capt- 
ure, is reported to have clapped his hands. 

That Lawrence fought the action contrary to his 
own judgment, and was not sanguine of victory, is 
shown by a letter in his own hand, written on board 
the Chesapeake, and sent off by the pilot ; for the 
American vessel, as she left the harbor, was sur- 
rounded by a fleet of small craft, which came out 
to see the action. This letter is addressed, " James 
Cox, Esq., Merchant, New York." 

The following is a copy of the letter, the original 
of which is now in the possession of the author: 

"June 1st. 

" Dear James, — By the enclosed you will perceive that Bain- 
bridge and myself have had a serious difference. It is in a measure, 
however, done away, in consequence of an explanation had last 
evening. You will pay him one and one-half twentieths of my 
prize-money, and demand the same resulting from the capture of 
ih&Java. . . . An English frigate is close in with the light-house, 
and we are now clearing ship for action. 

" Should I be so unfortunate as to be taken off, I leave my wife 
and children to your care, and feel confident that you will behave 
to them the same as if they were your own. Remember me affec- 
tionately to our good mother, and believe me, 

" Sincerely yours, 

" James Lawrence. 

" P. S. — 10 A.M. The frigate is plain in sight from our decks, and 
we are now getting under way." 

Trouble soon came ; the crew, that had never 



I20 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

sailed under Lawrence before, acted in a listless, 
half-hearted manner. A villanous boatswain's mate, 
a Portuguese, showed signs of mutinous conduct ; 
for immediately after the Chesapeake was under way, 
and Lawrence had addressed a few words to the 
crew assembled in the waist, this scoundrel replied 
in an insolent manner, complaining that he had 
not received prize-money which had been due, he 
claimed, for some time past. It was impossible, in 
view of the fact that he was entirely unacquainted 
with the characters of his crew, for Captain Law- 
rence to notice this conduct in the manner it de- 
served. He had had no time to gain their affec- 
tions or obtain influence through his personality. 

Imagine the scene ! With the enemy waiting in 
the offing, the disaffected ones were taken to the 
cabin and there paid the money that they claimed 
was owing them. As Lawrence looked about, he 
longed for the Yankee tars that had served under 
him in the Hornet and that he had hoped to com- 
mand in the Constitution. His heart must have 
failed him. 

Up went the flag. The English had learned to 
read without the glass, " Free Trade and Sailors' 
Rights," the motto painted on it. 

As the Chesapeake approached, the English vessel 
hauled off shore. 

It was a beautiful summer day. The water was 
rippled, and there was little or no swell. It was a 
day for target practice. The small craft either held 



THE "CHESAPEAKE AND THE "SHANNON 121 

back or had been left behind as the two combatants, 
sailing in silence, drew away from shore. 

At 4 P.M. the Chesapeake fired a gun. The Shan- 
non braced back her main-topsail and hove to. The 
smoke from the first shot had cleared away, and the 
vessels manoeuvred for some minutes to ^ain the 
advantage. 

Lawrence must have seen that it would have been 
better had he listened to the counsels of Bainbridge 
and others, who had advised him not to seek a 
meeting just at that time. It was evident that the 
Shannon was the better sailer. Several times the 
newly rove running-gear of the Chesapeake jammed 
in the blocks. Her crew were confused, and the 
men did not know their numbers at the sfuns. All 
exertions were made, however ; but, after having 
been for some time within pistol-shot, broadsides 
were fired with tremendous execution. The first 
broadside that the Chesapeake received was a catas- 
trophe in itself; the double -shotted guns of the 
enemy tore great breaks in her bulwarks, and officers 
who had occupied positions of great danger fell in 
every part of the ship. The first shot killed Mr. 
White, the sailing-master. The fourth lieutenant, 
Mr. Ballard, received a mortal wound ; and at this 
same moment Captain Lawrence was shot through 
the leg by a musket-ball from the Shannon s tops. 
He made no outcry, but, leaning against the com- 
panion-way for support, continued to give his or- 
ders in a cool, firm voice. The ships were now so 



122 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

close that the powder smoke blackened their white 
streaks, and three broadsides were exchanged in 
quick succession that were frightful in their results. 

The English had placed expert riflemen in their 
tops, and three men were shot successively from 
the Chesapeake s wheel. The American ship fell 
off from her proper course, and the Shannon 
veering close, her after -port was caught by the 
Chesapeake s anchor. The ill-luck of the latter 
vessel had followed her. For some time she 
could not bring a gun to bear, while the English- 
man from his foremost guns raked her upper decks, 
killing and wounding the greater portion of the men 
there. 

It had been for a long time a superstition with 
our cousins across the water that naught could re- 
sist the onslaught of an English boarding party. An 
exception, however, has been made in favor of the 
" damned Yankees " by a well-known English writer. 

Seeing that the spar-deck of the Chesapeake was 
devoid of defenders, a party of the Shannons men 
took advantage of a favorable chance, and, without 
waiting for orders, jumped on the American's deck. 
Captain Lawrence, still leaning heavily against the 
rail, and weak from loss of blood, had scarcely time 
to call his boarders to repel the attack when he re- 
ceived a second wound, from a bullet, in the abdo- 
men. He fell into the arms of Lieutenant Cox, who 
commanded the second division, and was hurrying 
up from below. At this moment Captain Broke, of 



THE "CHESAPEAKE" AND THE "SHANNON" 123 

the Shannon, bravely headed a second boarding par- 
ty, and sprang over the railing of the Chesapeake. 
Lawrence saw the danger as he struggled, with Cox's 
help, to rise from the deck. 

" Don't give up the ship! don't give up the ship!" 
he said, and repeated it over and over as they car- 
ried him down the companion-way. 

A hand-to-hand struggle now ensued. The only 
American officer remaining on the upper deck was 
Lieutenant Ludlow. He was so weakened and dis- 
abled by numerous wounds that he was incapable of 
personal resistance, and the small number of British 
succeeded in obtaining possession before those from 
below could swarm up to the defence. 

An account gathered from an officer after the sur- 
render speaks as follows : 

" We were greatly embarrassed in consequence of 
being unacquainted with our crew. In one instance, 
in particular. Lieutenant Cox joined a party of the 
enemy through mistake, and was made sensible of 
his error by their slashing at him with their cut- 
lasses." 

Lawrence, lying below in the wardroom, suffering 
agony, heard the firing cease, and, having no officer 
near him, he ordered the surgeon who was attend- 
ing his wound to hasten on deck and tell his fol- 
lowers to fight on to the last, and never strike the 
colors, adding: 

" They shall wave while I live." 

But nothing could be done. A ship without a 



124 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

captain is a man without a soul The fate of battle 
was decided. It was mere waste of Hfe to continue, 
and Lieutenant Ludlow gave up the Chesapeake. 

There was the utmost confusion during the latter 
part of the battle, but accounts differ in reeard to 
the details. A hot-headed boy fired at an English 
sentry placed at a gangway, and started an action 
that resulted in Lieutenant Ludlow receivins: a cut- 
lass wound in the head which fractured his skull 
and proved fatal. An English authority, in speak- 
ing of the hauling down of the stars and stripes, re- 
calls that Lieutenant Wall, one of their own officers, 
was killed, and four or five men fell, from a volley 
delivered by their own people from the tops of the 
Shannon, "for in the hurry and excitement the Yan- 
kee flag was hoisted uppermost." 

Thus terminated one of the most remarkable com- 
bats on naval record. The action had lasted over 
a quarter of an hour. There is little use in surmis- 
ing what might have occurred had not the ships run 
foul of each other. 

The Chesapeake had received little injury to affect 
her safety, while the Shannon had several shots be- 
tween wind and water, and could not have sustained 
an action at gunshot distance for any great length 
of time. 

The two ships presented terrible spectacles, says 
a witness. " Crowded with wounded and the dy- 
ing, they resembled floating hospitals, sending forth 
groans at every roll." 



THE "CHESAPEAKE AND THE "SHANNON 125 

The brave Broke had received a severe wound in 
the head, and was lying delirious on board of his 
own vessel. He constantly inquired for the fate 
of his gallant adversary, and kept speaking of the 
"masterly style" in which the latter had brought 
the Chesapeake into action. 

Lawrence, though conscious, sealed his lips and 
never spoke, though suffering great bodily pain, 
making no comment upon the battle. He lingered 
four days, and finally expired. 

His body was wrapped in the colors of his ship 
and laid upon the quarter-deck of the Chesapeake^ to 
be conveyed for burial to Halifax. At the time of 
his death he was but thirty-two years of age, sixteen 
years of which had been passed in the service of his 
country. 

Great were the rejoicings at the British port when 
the two vessels sailed in, and our hearts cannot fail 
to be touched by the honors paid on this occasion 
by the British to the departed American hero. 

His pall was borne by the oldest captains in the 
British service that were then in Halifax, and the 
naval officers crowded to yield the last honors to a 
man who had been so lately their foe. There is a 
sympathy between lofty souls that knows no dis- 
tinction of clime or nation. 

As usual, much controversy over the numbers en- 
o:ao-ed and the weio^ht of armament was aroused. 

So far as can be learned, the crews were nearly 
matched, each numbering about four hundred. 



126 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

The Shannon lost twenty-four killed, including 
three officers, and fifty wounded. The Chesapeake, 
forty-seven killed and ninety-nine wounded. 

Lawrence's first lieutenant was killed, and all the 
surviving lieutenants wounded, as were also five 
midshipmen and the chaplain. 

Lieutenant William Cox, whose court-martial at- 
tracted much attention after the investigation into 
the loss of the Chesapeake, was doubtless a victim of 
the chagrin that the country felt at England's vic- 
tory. Cox had fought bravely throughout the early 
part of the action, and there is much to prove that 
his going below with the wounded Lawrence was in 
compliance with the latter's orders. 

Lieutenant Provo Wallis, who brought the Chesa- 
peake as a prize into Halifax, died within the last 
few years, an admiral, the oldest naval officer then 
living in the service of Great Britain. 



IX 

THE "ENTERPRISE" AND THE "BOXER" 
[September 5th, 181 3] 




MEMORIAL MEDAL IN HONOR OF 
CAPTAIN WILLIAM BURROWS 




MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
LIEUTENANT EDWARD R. McCALL 



WILLIAM BURROWS was one of those 
men from whose early training and de- 
velopment of character great things 
might have been expected. He was born in 1785, 
near Philadelphia, and as a boy he had marked pe- 
culiarities that presaged somewhat the eccentrici- 
ties that were shown by him in after-life. 

His father was wealthy, and, being a man of ac- 
complished mind and polished manners, he deter- 
mined to fit his son for no profession, but intended 
to give him the best education that could be had. 
But the boy seemed to show little desire to master 
that which would only fit him to enjoy the better a 
life of leisure. A desire for travel, a wild longing 
for the sea and for ships, manifested itself before he 
was twelve years old. He cherished a solitary in- 
dependence of mind, and did not indulge in much 
of the playfulness or the pranks of boyhood. 

At last, seeing that it was impossible to break 
him of his desire for a seafaring life, the whole course 
of his education was changed, and before he had 
trod the deck of a vessel he was instructed in naval 
science. This he took up with avidity, and the in- 
tense hatred for mathematics he had shown hitherto 
entirely disappeared. In November, 1799, a mid- 



130 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

shipman's warrant was procured for him, and the 
following January he joined the corvette Ports77iouth, 
and sailed for France. He served on board various 
ships of war until 1803, when he was ordered to the 
frigate Constitution, under Commodore Preble. He 
distinguished himself in the Tripolitan war, and 
centred all his pride in becoming a thorough and 
accomplished sailor Being mortified by the ap- 
pointment of some junior officers over his head, 
he attempted to resign the service just previous to 
the outbreak of the second war with Great Britain ; 
his resignation was not accepted. However, after 
much trouble, he received a furlough, and made a 
trip to China as first officer on board the merchant 
ship Thomas Penrose, which vessel he saved on one 
occasion by his good seamanship. What was his 
delight, upon coming back to his country, to find 
that his friends had been working for him, and that 
he had been appointed to the command of the brig 
Enterprise, 16 guns, at Portsmouth! His charac- 
ter immediately underwent a change. He threw 
off the misanthropic manner and the morose feel- 
ings that had characterized him, and showed such 
knowledge and despatch in outfitting his little brig 
that she was probably as well equipped as any vessel 
of her tonnage in any service, and her crew as well 
trained. 

On the ist of September the Enterprise sailed 
from Portsmouth on a cruise to the southward. She 
encountered light weather and baffling winds, and 



THE "ENTERPRISE AND THE "BOXER I3I 

saw no sail until early on the morning of the 5th, 
when a brig was espied inshore getting under way. 
For some time the Enterp^Hse tacked to and fro, un- 
able to ascertain the character of the stranger. But 
soon all doubts were put aside by seeing the brig 
display two flags, one at each mast-head; and al- 
though some miles distant, she fired a gun, as if in 
challens^e. 

The Enterprise hauled up on the wind and stood 
out to sea, preparing for action. Then followed one 
of the strange circumstances which hapjDened so 
often in those days. The wind died away, and for 
six hours or more the two enemies drifted about 
in a dead calm, watching each other through their 
glasses, and preparing for the conflict that would 
take place as soon as the breeze would enable them 
to lessen the distance between them. 

At half-past two in the afternoon it came, from 
the southwest, a light wind that gave the Enterprise 
the advantage of the weather-gage. It took only a 
few minutes to find out that, so far as sailing went, 
the two vessels were on equal terms, and at 3 p.m. 
Burrows shortened sail, squared his yards, and bore 
down before the wind. He hoisted an ensign at 
each of his mast-heads and another at the peak, fir- 
ing a gun to answer the previous challenge of the 
morning. Then, in silence, the two vessels neared. 
Closer and closer they came without a shot being 
fired, the men at the guns being eager to commence, 
and the officers anxiously awaiting word from the 



132 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF lSl2 

young commander (Burrows was but twenty-eight), 
who was walking quickly to and fro alone on the 
quarter-deck. 

When within half pistol-shot the Englishman 
came up into the wind and gave three cheers, im- 
mediately letting go his starboard broadside. The 
cheers and the broadside were returned, and the ac- 
tion at once became general. 

Burrows had the opportunity for which he had 
been praying. He noticed that the training of his 
crew was showing to good effect ; all the care and 
trouble he had taken were now being paid for. 

He had turned to speak to Lieutenant McCall, to 
attract attention to the way in which the enemy was 
being hulled, when a musket-ball struck him in the 
body, and he fell. McCall bent over him. " Don't 
take me below," he said, as he lay on the deck. 
" Never strike that flag." 

Maybe the recollection of the words of the great 
Lawrence influenced him as he spoke. They 
brought a hammock from the nettings and placed 
it underneath his head, and McCall assumed the 
active command. 

This had happened during the first eight min- 
utes of the engagement, and so accurate was the 
gunnery of the Americans that the main-topmast 
and the topsail yard of the Englishman were soon 
shot away, and a position gained whence a raking 
fire was kept up for some twelve minutes. 

Suddenly it was noticed that the enemy was not 



THE "ENTERPRISE" HULLING THE " BOXER ^ 



THE "enterprise" AND THE "BOXER" 1 33 

replying, although the colors were still flying at the 
mast-heads. 

McCall gave orders to cease firing, and then 
throuQfh the smoke came a hoarse voice hailing^ the 
American brig. " Cease firing there!" it said. "We 
have surrendered." 

" Why don't you haul down your colors ?" re- 
turned McCall through the trumpet. 

"We can't, sir. They are nailed to the mast," 
was the reply. 

A boat was lowered from the Enterprise, and Mc- 
Call climbed to the deck of his late antagonist. She 
proved to be His Britannic Majesty's brig Boxer, 
14 guns, that a few minutes before had been com- 
manded by Samuel Blyth, a brave ofiicer, who 
burned to distinguish himself, and had gone into 
action determined to follow the example of Sir 
Philip Vere Broke, and lead " a captured Yankee 
into Halifax Harbor " — so he had expressed himself. 
But he had not lived to see the outcome of the ac- 
tion. At the same time that Burrows fell on board 
the Enterprise, Blyth was killed by a cannon-shot 
on the quarter-deck of the Boxer. 

His first officer came back with Lieutenant 
McCall, and approached the wounded Burrows, who 
yet refused to be carried below. The doctor had pro- 
nounced that he had but a few hours at most to 

live. 

When he received the sword of his enemy, he 
grasped it in both hands. " I am satisfied," he said ; 



134 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

and soon afterwards he was covered with the flag 
below in his own cabin — " a smile on his lips," wrote 
one of the officers. 

As usual, much controversy was excited in regard 
to the numbers of crew and armament of the two 
vessels. 

An extract from a letter from Commodore Hull 
to Commodore Bainbridge, dated September loth, 
1813, is of great interest. Hull writes : 

" I yesterday visited the two brigs, and was astonished to see the 
difference of injury sustained in the action. The Enterprise has 
but one eighteen-pound shot in her hull, one in her mainmast, and 
one in her foremast ; her sails are much cut with grape-shot, but no 
injury was done by them. 

" The Boxer has eighteen or twenty eighteen-pound shot in her 
hull, most of them at the water's edge; several stands of grape-shot 
in her side, and such a quantity of smaller grape that I didn't under- 
take to count them. Her masts, sails, and spars are literally cut to 
pieces ; several of her guns dismounted and unfit for service. To 
give an idea, I inform you that I counted in her mainmast alone 
three eighteen-pound shot-holes. 

" I find it impossible to get at the number killed, as no papers 
are found by which we can ascertain it. I, however, counted up- 
wards of ninety hammocks that were in her nettings, besides sev- 
eral beds without hammocks. I have no doubt that she carried one 
hundred men on board." 

The exact number on board the Enterprise was 
one hundred and two. 

In addition to the particulars thus officially given, 
from other sources it was ascertained that the 
Entejprise rated as 12 guns, but carried 16 — viz., 
14 eighteen -pound carronades and 2 long nines; 



THE "ENTERPRISE AND THE ''BOXER I35 

her officers and crew consisted of one hundred and 
two persons, and her burden was about two hundred 
and sixty-five tons. 

The Boxer rated as a 14 -gun brig, but carried 
18, disposed as follows: 16 eighteen -pound car- 
ronades in her broadsides and 2 long nines on 
deck. She was very heavily built, and was about 
three hundred tons in burden. 

Soon after the arrival of the Enterprise and her 
prize at Portland the bodies of the two dead com- 
manders were brought on shore in ten-oared barges 
rowed at minute strokes by masters of ships, and 
accompanied by a procession of almost all the barges 
and boats in the harbor. Minute-guns were fired 
from the vessels, the same ceremony was performed 
over each body, and the procession moved through 
the streets, preceded by the selectmen and the mu- 
nicipal officers, and guarded by the crew of the 
Enterprise, all the officers of that vessel and of the 
Boxer acting as joint mourners. 

It is a strange fact that Burrows had never been 
in a battle before, and that McCall, on whom had 
devolved the responsibility of command, had never 
previously heard the sound of a hostile shot. 

The losses during the action were, as near as 
could be ascertained, as follows : 

The Boxer, twenty -eight killed and fourteen 
wounded ; and the Enterprise, one killed and thir- 
teen wounded, three of whom afterwards died. 



X 

THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE 

[September loth, 1813] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN OLIVER HAZARD PERRV 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, the hero of 
Lake Erie, inherited from his father a 
fearless, high-strung disposition, and early 
in life showed his longing for adventure. The elder 
Perry was a seaman from the time he could lift a 
handspike, and fought in the revolutionary days, 
first as a privateersman on a Boston letter-of-marque, 
and afterwards as a volunteer on board the frigate 
Trumbull and the sloop of war Mifflin. He was 
captured and imprisoned for eight long months in 
the famous Jersey prison-ship, where he succeeded in 
braving the dangers of disease, starvation, and hard- 
ship, and at last regained his liberty. Once more 
he became a privateersman, but ill-fortune followed 
him. He was captured in the English Channel, and 
confined for eighteen months in a British prison, 
whence he again escaped and made his way to the 
island of St. Thomas. From thence he sailed to 
Charleston, South Carolina, where he arrived about 
the time that peace was concluded. After that 
Perry found employment in the East Indian trade 
until 1 798, when he was appointed to the command 
of the U.S.S. General Greene. He was the head of 
a large family, having married in 1783, the oldest 
of his children being Oliver Hazard. Of the four 



I40 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

other sons, three of them also entered the navy and 
served with distinction. 

Oliver Hazard as a boy was not physically strono- ; 
he grew tall at an early age, and his strength was 
not in keeping with his inches. Nevertheless, he 
declared himself positively in favor of taking up the 
sea as a profession, and in April of 1799, after his 
father had been in command of the General Greene 
for one year, to his delight young Perry received 
his midshipman's warrant, and joined the same 
ship. 

The young midshipman made several cruises 
with his father to the West Indies ; his health and 
strength increased with the life in the open air ; he 
showed capacity and courage, and participated in the 
action that resulted in the reduction of Jacmel in 
connection with the land attack of the celebrated 
General Toussaint's army. This was the last active 
service of the General Greene; she was sold and 
broken up, and upon the reduction of the navy in 
1 80 1 the elder Perry left the service. In 1803 his 
son returned from a cruise in the Mediterranean, 
and was promoted to an acting lieutenancy. 

In our naval history of this time the recurrence 
of various names, and the references made over and 
over again to the same actions and occurrences, are 
easily accountable when we think of the small num- 
ber of vessels the United States possessed and the 
surprisingly few officers on the pay-rolls. The high 
feeling of esprit de corps that existed among them 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE 141 

came from the fact that they each had a chance to 
prove their courage and fidelity. There was a high 
standard set for them to reach. 

Ohver Hazard Perry went through the same 
school that, luckily for us, graduated so many fine 
officers and sailors — that of the Tripolitan war. 
After he returned to America, at the conclusion of 
peace with Tripoli, he served in various capacities 
along the coast, proving himself an efficient leader 
upon more than one occasion. The first service 
upon which the young officer was employed after 
the commencement of the war with England was 
taking charge of a flotilla of gunboats stationed at 
Newport. 

As this service was neither arduous nor calculated 
to bring chances for active employment in the way 
of fighting, time hung on his hands, and Perry 
chafed greatly under his enforced retirement. At 
last he petitioned the government to place him in 
active service, stating plainly his desire to be at- 
tached to the naval forces that were then gathering 
under the command of Commodore Chauncey on 
the lakes. His request was granted, to his great 
joy, and he set out with all despatch. 

It was at an early period of the war that the gov- 
ernment had seen the immense importance of gain- 
ing the command of the western lakes, and in Octo- 
ber of 181 2 Commodore Chauncey had been ordered 
to take seven hundred seamen and one hundred and 
fifty marines and proceed by forced marches to Lake 



142 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

Ontario. There had been sent ahead of him a large 
number of ship-builders and carpenters, and great 
activity was displayed in building and outfitting a 
fleet which might give to the United States the 
possession of Lake Ontario. There was no great 
opposition made to the American arms by the Brit- 
ish on this lake, but the unfortunate surrender of 
General Hull had placed the English in undisputed 
possession of Lake Erie. 

In March, 1813, Captain Perry having been de- 
spatched to the port of Erie, arrived there to find a 
fleet of ten sail being prepared to take the waters 
against the British fleet under Commodore Barclay 
— an old and experienced leader, a hero of the days 
of Nelson and the Victory. 

Before Perry's arrival a brilliant little action had 
taken place in October of the previous year. Two 
British vessels, the Detroit and the Caledoiiia, came 
down the lake and anchored under the guns of the 
British Fort Erie on the Canadian side. At that 
time Lieutenant Elliot was superintending the na- 
val affairs on Lake Erie, and the news having been 
brousfht to him of the arrival of the English vessels 
on the opposite side, he immediately determined to 
make a nis^ht attack and cut them out. For a lono- 
time a body of seamen had been tramping their 
toilsome march from the Hudson River to the 
lakes, and Elliot, hearing that they were but some 
thirty miles away, despatched a messenger to hasten 
them forward ; at the same time he began to pre- 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE I43 

pare two small boats for the expedition. About 
twelve o'clock the wearied seamen, footsore and 
hungry, arrived, and then it was discovered that in 
the whole draft there were but twenty pistols, and 
no cutlasses, pikes, or battle-axes. But Elliot was 
not dismayed. Applying to General Smyth, who 
was in command of the reg^ulars, for arms and as- 
sistance, he was supplied with a few muskets and 
pistols, and about fifty soldiers were detached to aid 
him. 

Late in the afternoon Elliot had picked out his 
crews and manned the two boats, putting about fifty 
men in each ; but he did not stir until one o'clock 
on the following morning, when in the pitch dark- 
ness he set out from the mouth of Buffalo Creek, 
with a long pull ahead. The wind was not strong 
enough to make good use of the sails, and the poor 
sailors were so weary that those who were not row- 
ing lay sleeping, huddled together on their arms, 
and displaying great listlessness and little desire for 
fighting. At three o'clock Elliot was alongside the 
British vessels. It was a complete surprise ; in ten 
minutes he had full possession of them and had 
secured the crews as prisoners. But after making 
every exertion to get under sail, he found to his 
bitter disappointment that the wind was unfortu- 
nately so light that the rapid current made them 
gather an increasing sternway every instant. An- 
other unfortunate circumstance was that he would 
have to pass the British fort below and quite close 



144 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

to hand, for he was on the Canadian shore. As the 
vessels came in sight of the British battery, the lat- 
ter opened a heavy fire of round and grape, and sev- 
eral pieces of flying artillery stationed in the woods 
took up the chorus. 

The Caledonia, being a smaller vessel, succeeded 
in getting out of the current, and was beached in as 
safe a position as possible under one of the Ameri- 
can batteries at Black Rock, across the river; but 
Elliot was compelled to drop his anchor at the 
distance of about four hundred yards from two of 
the British batteries. He was almost at their mercy, 
and in the extremity he tried the effect of a ruse, or, 
better, made a threat that we must believe he never 
intended carrying into effect. 

Observing an officer standing on the top of an 
earthwork, he hailed him at the top of his voice : 

" Heigh, there, Mr. John Bull ! if you fire another 
gun at me I'll bring up all my prisoners, and you 
can use them for targets," he shouted. 

The answer was the simultaneous discharge of all 
of the Englishman's guns. But not a single prisoner 
was brought on deck to share the fate of the Ameri- 
cans, who felt the effect of the fire, and who now be- 
gan to make strenuous efforts to return it. Elliot 
brought all of the guns on one side of his ship, and 
replied briskly, until he suddenly discovered that all 
of his ammunition was expended. Now there was 
but one chance left : to cut the cable, drift down 
the river out of the reach of the heavy batteries, and 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE I45 

make a stand against the flying artillery with small 
arms. This was accordingly done, but as the sails 
were raised the fact was ascertained that the pilot 
had taken French leave. No one else knew the 
channel, and, swinging about, the vessel drifted 
astern for some ten minutes, then, fortunately strik- 
ing a cross current, she brought up on the shore of 
Squaw Island, near the American side. Elliot sent 
a boat to the mainland with the prisoners first. It 
experienced great difficulty in making the passage, 
being almost swamped once or twice, and it did not 
return. Affairs had reached a crisis, but with the 
aid of a smaller boat, and by the exercise of great 
care, the remainder of the prisoners and the crew 
succeeded in getting on shore at about eight o'clock 
in the morning. At about eleven o'clock a com- 
pany of British regulars rowed over from the Cana- 
dian shore to Squaw Island and boarded the Delroit, 
their intention being to destroy her, and burn up 
the munitions with which she was laden. Seeing 
their purpose. Major Cyrenus Chapin, a good Yan- 
kee from Massachusetts, called for volunteers to 
return to the island, and, despite the difficulties 
ahead, almost every man signified his willingness to 
go. Quickly making his selection. Major Chapin 
succeeded in landing with about thirty men at his 
back, and drove off the English before they had 
manaofed to start the flames. About three o'clock 
a second attempt was made, but it was easily re- 
pulsed. 
10 



146 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

The Detroit mounted six long 6-pounders, and 
her crew numbered some sixty men. She was worth 
saving, but so badly was she grounded on the island 
that it was impossible to get her off, and, after tak- 
ing her stores out, Elliot set her on fire to get rid 
of her. The little Caledonia was quite a valuable 
capture, aside from her armament, as she had on 
board a caro^o of furs whose value has been esti- 
mated at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 

But to return to the condition of affairs upon the 
arrival of Captain Perry. The fleet that in a few 
weeks he had under his command consisted of the 
brig Lawrence, of 20 guns, to which he attached his 
flag ; the Niagara, of 20 guns, in command of Elliot; 
and the schooners Caledonia and Ariel, of 3 and 
4 guns respectively. There were besides six small- 
er vessels, carrying from one to two guns each ; 
in all, Perry's fleet mounted 55 guns. The Brit- 
ish fleet, under command of Barclay, consisted of 
the Detroit (named after the one that was wrecked), 
the Qiieen Charlotte, and the Lady Prevost, They 
mounted 19, 17, and 13 guns, in the order named. 
The brig Hunter carried 10 guns; the sloop Little 
Belt, 3; and the schooner Chippeway, i gun; in all, 
Barclay had 63 guns, not counting several swivels — 
that is, more than eight guns to the good. 

The morning of the loth of September dawned 
fine and clear. Perry, with his fleet anchored about 
him, lay in the quiet waters of Put-in Bay. A light 
breeze was blowing from the south. Very early a 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE 1 47 

number of sail were seen out on the lake beyond 
the point, and soon the strangers were discovered 
to be the British fleet. Everything depended now 
upon the speed, with which the Americans could 
prepare for action. In twelve minutes every vessel 
was under way and sailing out to meet the on- 
comers ; the Lawrence led the line. As the two 
fleets approached, the British concentrated the fire 
of their long and heavy guns upon her. She came 
on in silence ; at her peak was flying a huge motto- 
flag ; plain to view were the words of the brave com- 
mander of the Chesapeake : " Don't give up the ship." 

The responsibility that rested upon the young 
commander's shoulders was great ; his position was 
most precarious. This was the first action between 
the fleets of the two hostile countries ; it was a battle 
for the dominion of the lakes; defeat meant that the 
English could land at any time an expeditionary 
force at any point they chose along the shores of 
our natural northern barrier. The Lawrence had 
slipped quite a way ahead of the others, and Perry 
found that he would have to close, in order to re- 
turn the English fire, as at the long distance he was 
surely being ripped to pieces. 

Sisnalline the rest of the fleet to follow him, he 
made all sail and bore down upon the English; but 
to quote from the account in the Naval Temple, 
printed in the year 1816: "Every brace and bow- 
line of the Lawrejice being shot away, she became 
unmanageable, notwithstanding the great exer- 



148 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

tion of the sailing-master. In this situation she 
sustained the action within canister distance up- 
wards of two hours, until every gun was rendered 
useless, and the greater part of her crew either killed 
or wounded." 

It is easy to imagine the feelings of Perry at this 
moment. The smaller vessels of his fleet had not 
come within firing distance; there was absolutely 
nothing for him to do on board the flagship except 
to lower his flag. Yet there was one forlorn hope 
that occurred to the young commander, and without 
hesitation he called away the only boat capable of 
floating ; taking his flag, he quitted the Lawrence, 
and rowed off for the Niagara. The most wonder- 
ful accounts of hair-breadth escapes could not equal 
that of Perry upon this occasion. Why his boat 
was not swamped, or its crew and commander killed, 
cannot be explained. Three of the British ships 
fired broadsides at him at pistol-shot distance, as he 
passed by them in succession ; and although the 
water boiled about him, and the balls whistled but 
a few inches overhead, he reached the Niagara in 
safety. 

There are but a few parallel cases to this, of a 
commander leaving one ship and transferring his 
flae to another in the heat of action. 

The Duke of York upon one occasion shifted his 
flag, in the battle of Solebay; and in the battle of 
Texel, fought on August ii, 1673, the English 
Admiral Sprague shifted his flag from the Royal 



THE "NIAGARA" BREAKS THE ENGLISH LINE 




■<p,^w 






THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE I49 

Prince to the St. George, and the Dutch Admiral 
Van Tromp shifted his flag from the Golden Lion 
to the Comet, owing to the former vessel being prac- 
tically destroyed by a concentrated fire. This does 
not detract from the gallantry of Perry's achieve- 
ment. The danger he faced was great, and he was 
probably closer to the enemy's vessels than any of 
the commanders above mentioned. 

Perry's younger brother, who was but a midship- 
man, was one of the seven other men in the boat. 
They left on board the Lawrence not above a half- 
score of able-bodied men to look after the numerous 
wounded. Owing to the opinions of many of the 
contemporary writers, who gave way to an intense 
feeling of partisanship, some bitterness was occa- 
sioned, and sides were taken in regard to the ac- 
tions of Master Commandant Elliot and his superior 
officer ; but looking back at it from this day, we can 
see little reason for any feeling of jealousy. It is 
hard to point the finger at any one on the Ameri- 
can side in this action and say that he did not do 
his duty. As Perry reached the side of the Niagara 
the wind died away until it was almost calm ; the 
smaller vessels, the sloops and schooners — the Somers, 
the Scorpion, the Tigress, the Ohio, and the Porcu- 
pine — were seen to be well astern. Upon Perry set- 
ting foot on deck, Elliot congratulated him upon the 
way he had left his ship, and volunteered to bring 
up the boats to windward, if he could be spared. 
Upon receiving permission he jumped into the boat 



I50 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

in which Perry had rowed from the Lawrence, and 
set out to bring up all the forces. Every effort was 
made to form a front of battle, and the little sfun- 
boats, urged on by sweeps and oars, were soon en- 
gaged in a race for glory. In the meantime, how- 
ever, the Enghsh had slackened their fire as they 
saw the big flag lowered from the Lawrences mast- 
head ; they supposed that the latter had struck, 
and set up a tremendous cheering. This was 
hushed as they caught sight of the flash of oars 
and realized what was going forward. In a few min- 
utes out of the thick smoke came the Niagara, 
breaking their line, and firing her broadsides with 
such good execution that great confusion followed 
throughout the fleet. Two of their larger brigs, the 
Queen Charlotte and Detroit, ran afoul of each 
other, and the Niagara, giving signal for close ac- 
tion, ran across the bow of one ship and the stern of 
the other, raking them both with fearful effect; 
then squaring away, and running astern of the Lady 
Prevost, she got in another raking fire, and, sheering 
off, made for the Hunter. Now the little i-gun 
and 2-gun vessels of the American fleet were giving 
good accounts of themselves. 

Although their crews were exposed to full view 
and stood waist-high above the bulwarks, they did 
no dodging ; their shots were well directed, and they 
raked the Englishmen fore and aft, carrying away 
all the masts of the Detroit and the mizzenmast of 
the Queen Charlotte. 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE 151 

A few minutes after 3 p.m., a white flag at end 
of a boarding-pike was lifted above the bulwarks 
of the Htmter. At the sight of this the Chippcway 
and Little Belt crowded all sail and tried to escape, 
but in less than a quarter of an hour they were capt- 
ured and brought back by the Trippe and the Scor- 
pion, under the commands of Lieutenant Thomas 
Holdup and Sailing-master Stephen Champlin. 
With a ringing cheer the word went through the 
line that the British had surrendered. The sover- 
eignty of Lake Erie belonged to America. The 
question of supremacy was settled. 

The events of the day had been most dramatic. 
This fight amid the wooded shores and extending 
arms of the bay was viewed from shore by hundreds 
of anxious Americans. The bright sunlight and calm 
surface of the lake, the enshrouding fog of smoke 
that from shore hid all but the spurts of flame and 
the topmasts and occasionally the flags of the vessels 
eneasred, all had combined to make a drama of the 
most exciting and awe-inspiring interest. Nor was 
the last act to be a letting down. Perry determined 
to receive the surrender of the defeated enemy 
nowhere else but on the deck of his old flag-ship 
that was slowly drifting up into the now inter- 
mingled fleets. 

Once more he lowered his broad pennant, and 
rowed out for the crippled Lawreiice. He was re- 
ceived on board with three feeble cheers, the 
wounded joining in, and a number of men crawling 



152 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

up from the slaughter-pen of a cockpit, begrimed 
and bloody. 

On board the Lawrence there had been left but 
one surgeon, Usher Parsons. He came on deck red 
to the elbows from his work below, and the terrible 
execution done by the concentrated English fire 
was evident to the English officers as they stepped 
on board the flag-ship. Dead men lay everywhere. 
A whole gun's crew were littered about alongside of 
their wrecked piece. From below came the mourn- 
ful howling of a dog. The cockpit had been above 
the water's surface, owing to the Lawrejice's shallow 
draught, and here was a frightful sight. The wound- 
ed had been killed outright or wounded again as 
they lay on the surgeon's table. Twice had Perry 
called away the surgeon's aids to help work ship, and 
once his hail of "Can any wounded men below there 
pull a rope ?" was answered by three or four brave, 
mangled fellows crawling up on deck to try to do 
their duty. All this was apparent to the English 
officers as they stepped over the bodies of the dead 
and went aft to where Perry stood with his arms 
folded, no vainglorious expression on his face, but 
one of sadness for the deeds that had been done 
that day. Each of the English officers in turn pre- 
sented his sword, and in reply Perry bowed and 
requested that the side-arms should be retained. 
As soon as the formalities had been gone through 
with. Perry tore off the back of an old letter he 
took from his pocket, and, using his stiff hat for a 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE I53 

writing-desk, scribbled the historic message which 

a detractor has charged he cribbed from Julius 

Ccesar : " We have met the enemy and they are 

ours : — two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one 
sloop." 

Calling away a small boat, he sent Midshipman 
Forrest with the report to General William Henry 
Harrison. 

A computation has been made by one historian 
of the number of guns directed against the Law- 
rence in the early part of the action. The English 
had heavier armaments and more long guns ; they 
could fight at a distance where the chubby carron- 
ade was useless. The Lawrence had but seven guns 
whose shots could reach her opponents, while the 
British poured into her the concentrated fire of 
thirty-two ! This accounts for the frightful carnage. 

When the Lawrence was beinsf shot through and 
through, and there were but three guns that could 
reply to the enemy's fire. Lieutenant Yarnell, dis- 
figured by a bad wound across his face from a splin- 
ter, came up to where Perry was standing. " The 
officers of my division have all been cut down," he 
said. " Can I have others ?" Perry looked about 
him and sent three of his aids to help Yarnell, but 
in less than a quarter of an hour the lieutenant 
returned again. His words were almost the same 
as before, but he had a fresh wound in his shoulder. 
" These officers," he said, " have been cut down 
also." 



154 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

" There are no more," Perry replied. " Do your 
best without them." 

Three times was Yarnell wounded, and three 
times after his wounds had been hurriedly dressed 
he returned to his post. ♦ 

Dulany Forrest, the midshipman whom Perry 
sent with the despatch to General Harrison, had a 
most remarkable escape. He was a brave lad who 
had faced death before ; he had seen the splinters fly 
in the action between the Constitution and the Java. 
Forrest was standing close to Captain Perry when a 
grape-shot that had glanced from the side of a port 
struck the mast, and, again deflected, caught the 
midshipman in the chest. He fell, gasping, at Per- 
ry's feet. 

" Are you badly hurt, lad ?" asked the latter, 
anxiously, as he raised the midshipman on his knee. 

" No, sir ; not much," the latter answered, as he 
caught his breath. " But this is my shot, I think." 
And with that he extracted the half-spent ball from 
his clothing and slipped it into his pocket. 

Midshipman Henry Laub was killed in the cock- 
pit just after having had a dressing applied to his 
shattered right arm. A Narragansett Indian who 
served as a gunner in the forward division of the 
Lawrence was killed in the same manner. 

A summary of the losses on both sides shows 
that, despite the death-list of the Lawrence, the 
English loss was more severe. On board the 
American flag-ship twenty-two were killed and 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE 1 55 

sixty-one were wounded. On board the Niagara 
two killed and twenty - five wounded. The Ariel 
had one killed and three wounded. The Scorpion, 
two killed. The Caledonia, three wounded ; and the 
Somers and Trippe each showed but two wounded 
men apiece. In all, twenty-seven were killed and 
ninety - six wounded on the American side. The 
comparison of the loss of the rest of the fleet and 
that suffered by the Lawrence makes a remarkable 
showing. The English lost forty-one killed and 
ninety - four wounded altogether. A number of 
Canadian Indians were found on board the English 
vessels. They had been engaged as marksmen, but 
the first shot had taken all the fight out of them 
and they had hidden and skulked for safety. 

Perry's treatment of the prisoners was magnani- 
mous. Everything that would tend to relieve the 
sufferino^s of the wounded was done, and relief was 
distributed impartially among the sufferers on both 
sides. The result of this action was a restoration 
of practical peace along the frontier of the lake. 
The British evacuated Detroit and Michigan, and 
the dreaded invasion of the Indians that the settlers 
had feared so long was headed off. 

Perry, who held but a commission of master com- 
mandant, despite his high acting rank, was promoted 
at once to a captaincy, the date of his commission 
bearing the date of his victory. He was given the 
command of the frigate Java, a new 44-gun ship 
then fitting out at Baltimore. Gold medals were 



156 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

awarded to him and to Elliot by Congress, and sil- 
ver medals to each of the commissioned officers. 
A silver medal also was given to the nearest male 
relative of Lieutenant Brooks of the marines, and 
swords to the nearest male relatives of Midshipmen 
Laub, Claxton, and Clark. Three months' extra pay- 
was voted to all the officers, seamen, and marines, 
and, in addition, Congress gave $225,000 in prize- 
money, to be divided among the American forces 
engaged in the action. This sum was distributed 
in the following proportions: Commodore Chaun- 
cey, who was in command on the lakes, $12,750; Per- 
ry and Elliot, $7140 each — besides which Congress 
voted Perry an additional $5000; the commanders 
of gunboats, lieutenants, sailing-masters, and lieu- 
tenants of marines received $2295 each; midship- 
men, $811; petty officers, $447 per capita; and ma- 
rines and sailors, $209 apiece. 

No money, however, could repay the brave men 
for the service they had rendered the country. To- 
day the dwellers along the shores of Lake Erie pre- 
serve the anniversary of the battle as an occasion for 
rejoicing. While the naval actions at sea reflected 
honor and glory to their commanders and credit to 
the service, the winning of the battle of Lake Erie 
averted a national catastrophe. 



XI 

THE DEFENCE 

OF THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" 

[September 26th, 1814] 



I 



SAMUEL CHESTER REID was born at 
I Norwich, Connecticut, in August, 1783. 
Like the majority of the commanders who 
gained renown during the war of 181 2, his sea-faring 
life began at a very early age. At eleven years he 
made his first voyage, and shortly afterwards he was 
captured by a French privateer, and for some time 
confined in the prison at Basseterre. He was re- 
leased after six months' imprisonment, and, turning 
towards the regular navy, he served as acting mid- 
shipman on the U.S.S. Baltimore, and saw a good 
bit of active service with the squadron under Com- 
modore Truxton in the West Indies. 

As he held no regular commission in the service, 
he saw the great chance and opportunity presented 
for privateering enterprise, and took command of 
the General Armstrong, privateer. Her cruises were 
uniformly successful, and had it not been that cir- 
cumstances forced her into national prominence she 
would probably have been forgotten like a hundred 
others of her class that had a vogue at the time. 
They enjoyed the popularity of the successful actor, 
but their names have gone out of people's memories 
after their short careers of glory. 

But there has probably been as much writing 



l60 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

done about the wonderful defence of the General 
Armstrong, under Captain Samuel Reid, as there 
has been about any action in which ships of our 
regular navy participated. Captain Reid died in 
1 86 1, but even after his death the '' ArmstroJig af- 
fair " was long kept before the public mind, owing 
to the claims of the heirs of the owners of the 
American vessel for damages against the Portu- 
guese government. 

The General Armstrong ^z."^ a fast-sailing, clever- 
ly handled little vessel, and she sailed from the port 
of New York, her crew having been recruited there. 
It was a motley gathering, as a great many of 
the crews of these vessels were, being composed of 
the pick of the merchant service, a few down- 
east fishermen, and, not strange to relate, advent- 
urers of every sort and description, who, however, 
proved themselves to be great fighters when under 
competent leadership. Her full complement was 
about ninety men. The brig's armament was rather 
a peculiar one ; she carried no carronades, but 
had three long nines on either side, and a long 24- 
pounder amidships. She could fight at a greater 
distance than many of the vessels belonging to the 
regular service. 

Farragut in his journal mentions that when he was 
a midshipman of the Essex, sailing from New York, 
a sail was sighted off the weather beam. To the 
surprise of the officers she was carrying more can- 
vas than might have been considered prudent con- 



THE DEFENCE OF THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" l6l 

sidering the weather, but she stood up under it and 
lego^ed it so fast that she soon came within haiHnor 
distance of the Essex. The latter vessel, not know- 
ing her character, had her men at quarters. All the 
officers admired the way the little brig was handled. 
Upon speaking her she proved to be the General 
Armstrong, bound upon her second cruise into Brit- 
ish waters — her first had been most successful. 

But to the event which has handed her name 
down to history. On September 26th, 18 14, the 
General Armstrong came to anchor in the Portu- 
guese harbor of Fayal. At about sunset of the 
same day three large ships, flying the British flag, 
were seen to enter the roads. 

As the privateer lay some distance out and it was 
dead calm within the harbor, Captain Reid deemed 
it wise to trust entirely to the neutrality of the port, 
and to claim the protection that should be given 
to any vessel by a neutral power. 

As darkness fell he saw some suspicious actions 
on the part of the British ships — the Carnation 
coming as close as pistol-shot range, and the others 
approaching to a distance of less than two miles ; 
throu2:h the Hass Reid could see that boats were 
being lowered. He trusted, however, for some time 
in the good faith and justice of the British captains, 
but these preparations suggested no peaceful inten- 
tions, and he began to warp his brig closer in to 
shore, anchoring at last, stem and stern, under the 

very guns of the castle that commanded the harbor. 
II 



l62 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

Calling his men on deck, he told them that he 
thought that the British intended, if possible, to cut 
him out. At once the temper of the crew was evi- 
dent. A boatswain's mate approached him, and, sa- 
luting, said: "You can trust in us, sir. What you 
say we do^ 

It was growing dusk. At about eight o'clock 
Captain Reid plainly saw four boats filled with 
armed men row down towards him. As soon as they 
were within hailing distance he stepped upon the 
bulwarks, and, making a trumpet of his hands, he 
shouted: "Boats there! Approach no nearer; for 
your safety I warn you." 

The rowing ceased, and there was evidently a 
consultation among the officers in command. Cap- 
tain Reid's men were standing at their quarters. 
Two of the guns were heavily loaded with grape. 
After talking a few minutes it was evident that the 
English decided to risk the venture, for the oars 
caught the water at once, and they came dashing on 
towards the American vessel. All dissemblino: was 
laid aside, and Reid ordered his men to fire. Two 
of the boats mounted swivels forward and returned 
shots in answer. A discharge of small-arms also 
began, but the torrent of grape that had raked one 
of the cutters had killed a first lieutenant and several 
of his men, and most of the others were wounded. 
The boats swung back, and made for the sanctuary 
of the vessels in the harbor. 

The moon had now risen, and it was very light. 



THE DEFENCE OF THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" 163 

Large crowds had gathered on the shore, but the 
castle displayed no intention of taking any part in 
the affair. 

The commanders of His Britannic Majesty's ships 
Plaiitagenet^ Rota, and Carnation held a consulta- 
tion. It resulted in a " most outrageous violation of 
the neutrality of a friendly port, and utter contempt 
of the laws of civilized nations," to quote from the 
report of John G. Dabney, American consul at 
Fayal. 

Angered at the result of their first attempt, the 
English threw all caution aside. They crowded as 
many men as possible into all the boats they had, 
armed them with carronades, swivels, and small- 
arms, and once more rowed down in two divisions ; 
but Reid was waiting for them. The guns were 
double-shotted, and he moved two of the long nines 
from the other side across the deck and cut ports for 
them in the bulwarks. A tremendous action now 
began, which lasted about forty minutes. Never 
in any of the hostile meetings between the frigates 
or the fleets of the United States and England has 
such destruction and carnage been recorded, in pro- 
portion to the number engaged, as is shown by the 
loss of the British on this occasion. The fire from 
the brig cut away whole boats' crews and almost 
destroyed the boats. It is estimated that about 400 
men were divided among the flotilla of the attack- 
ing party. They fought bravely, but there is merit 
in being well prepared for defence. More than half 



164 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

of the British were either killed or wounded, " Long 
Tom," the 25-pounder, doing terrible execution. 

The outmost boats showed signs of giving up the 
contest. Those nearer the General Arms irong con- 
tinued to fight desperately, but none had approached 
near enough to cut their way through the boarding 
nettings which Reid had strung along the sides. 

Seeing that there was an intention to retire, if 
possible, on the part of the British, he slackened his 
fire. Two boats were drifting, however, beneath 
the quarter of the privateer. They were loaded 
with their own dead. From these two boats only 
seventeen men reached shore alive, and, with the 
exception of three, all of these were wounded. 

The following day, from dawn until sunset, the 
British were occupied in burying their dead, among 
them being two lieutenants, one midshipman of the 
Rota, and the first lieutenant of the Plantagenet, 
who died of his wounds. The British endeavored 
to conceal the extent of the loss, but even they ad- 
rait that they lost in killed and those who died of 
their wounds afterwards upward of one hundred and 
twenty-five officers and men. 

The captain of the Rota, in his report, stated that 
he lost seventy men from his own ship. 

It was claimed by the English that the first expe- 
dition of four boats, which was sent out early in the 
evening of the 26th, was merely a reconnoitring 
party, and had no hostile intentions ; but it seemed 
a strange thing to reconnoitre at night an enemy's | 



II 






THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" REPELS THE ENGLISH BOATS 



I 



THE DEFENXE OF THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" 165 

vessel in a friendly port with one hundred and 
twenty armed men, a third as many again as were 
on board the American brig. There is no question, 
viewing the proceedings dispassionately, that they 
had hoped to take Reid by surprise. 

To quote from Dabney's report once more : " In 
vain can he [the British commander] expect by such 
subterfus^e to shield himself from the indi2:nation of 
the world and the merited resentment of his own 
government and nation for thus trampling on the 
sovereignty of their most ancient and faithful ally, 
and for the wanton sacrifice of British lives." 

The comparison of the loss sustained by the Amer- 
ican and bv the British sides is almost ridiculous — 
on the Armstroiiz two were killed and seven wound- 
ed. One of the former was Alexander O. Williams, 
of New York, the second lieutenant, an ofificer of 
bravery and merit. The first and third lieutenants, 
Messrs. Worth and Johnson, were wounded, and thus, 
strange to say. Captain Reid was deprived of the 
services of all of his junior officers, and was forced 
to conduct the defence alone. 

The next morning one of the British ships took 
advantage of the wind which sprang up, and, sailing 
in, commenced a heavy cannonade upon the priva- 
teer. Captain Reid replied for a few moments, but 
finding of course that the result of final capture was 
inevitable, owing to the fact that the other ves- 
sels displayed intentions of joining in, he decided 
to abandon the General Armstrong. He ho^•e his 



1 66 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

guns and powder overboard, and, manning his boats, 
brousfht his crew ashore. 

O 

As soon as the Armstrong was abandoned the 
British took possession of her, but, finding that she 
had been partially destroyed, out of revenge immedi- 
ately set fire to her. 

Dabney, in his letter to the Secretary of State, 
remarks as follows : " At nine o'clock in the evening 
(soon after the first attack) I called on the Govern- 
or, requesting his Excellency to protect the priva- 
teer, either by force or by such remonstrance to 
the commander of the squadron as would cause 
him to desist from any further attempt. The 
Governor, indignant at what had passed, but feeling 
himself totally unable, with the slender means he 
possessed, to resist such a force, took the part of 
remonstrating, which he did in forcible but respect- 
ful terms. His letter to Captain Lloyd had no other 
effect than to produce a menacing reply, insulting 
in the highest decree. Nothins; can exceed the in- 
dignation of the public authorities, as well as of all 
ranks and descriptions of persons here, at this unpro- 
voked enormity. Such was the rage of the British 
to destroy this vessel that no regard was paid to 
the safety of the town. Some of the inhabitants 
were wounded, and a number of houses were much 
damaged. The strongest representations on this sub- 
ject are prepared by the Governor for his court." 

Now followed one of the strangest incidents that 
occurred during our last war with England. The 



THE DEFENCE OF THE " GENERAL ARMSTRONG " 167 

senior commander, Captain Lloyd, threatened to 
send on shore an armed force to arrest the crew of 
the privateer, claiming that Englishmen were among 
them ; but the Geiieral Ar^nstrongs people fled to 
the mountains, and some of them took possession 
of an old church, preparing to defend themselves. 
Lloyd was fearful of losing more men if he tried 
to force this point; so, resorting to stratagem, he 
addressed an official letter to the Governor, stating 
that in the American crew were two men deserters 
from his own squadron, and who were thus guilty of 
high - treason. Under this claim a force was sent 
into the country by the Portuguese. The American 
seamen were arrested and brought to town, but the 
pretended deserters could not be found. All the 
seamen, however, had to pass under the humiliating 
examination of the British officers. 

It was a fortunate thing that the erroneous state- 
ment of Captain Lloyd resulted in nothing more 
serious than this. 

Reid protested against the actions of the com- 
manders of the British squadron, and also against 
the government of Portugal for not protecting him, 
and it was on this protest that the wearisome waiting 
and lawsuits arose which became known as the "Arm- 
strong claims," and which were decided unfortunately 
against the Americans by Louis Napoleon, who was 
chosen arbiter. The " Long Tom " was presented 
to America by the Portuguese three years ago, and 
was exhibited at the World s Fair in Chicago. 



XII 

THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX" 

[March 28th, 1814] 



L 



ATE in the fall of 1813 a little American 
brig made her way up the coast with a car- 
go that had once been consigned to some 
British merchants in the West Indies. 

The little brig had also, a few months previously, 
flown the British flag, but now she came drifting 
into the harbor of New York under a prize-master 
and his crew, for she had been taken in the Gulf of 
Mexico by one of the privateers that had outfitted 
from New York. 

She brought the news that only a short time be- 
fore her capture three smart English vessels had 
stopped at the port in which she had lain at anchor. 
Two of these three vessels were sent from England 
on a special mission ; it was intended that they 
should round the Horn and cruise in company in 
the Pacific Ocean in search of the frigate Essex, 
that had spread terror from China to South Ameri- 
ca, and had chased the British shipping off the west- 
ern ocean. 

On the 27th of October, 181 2, the Essex, under 
the command of David Porter, a fearless and per- 
sistent fighter, had set sail from the United States 
on a cruise to the southward, his orders being to 
join Bainbridge, his superior in the Constitution. 



1/2 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

The coast of Brazil was then the cruising-ground for 
a large force of English ships of war. 

Porter, hearing that Bainbridge, after his action 
with the Java, had been forced to return to the 
United States, determined to make his way around 
the continent into the blue waters of the Pacific. 
He had made one important capture a few days be- 
fore arriving at this last decision, having taken the 
Nocton, one of King George's packets. On board 
of her were found eleven thousand pounds in specie. 

After suffering severe hardships and meeting with 
many adverse winds and tides in rounding the Horn, 
Porter at last made his way along the harborless west- 
ern coast, and arrived at Valparaiso on the 14th of 
March, 181 3. 

The Essex s crew had been on short allowance of 
water and small rations, but not a murmur of dis- 
satisfaction had been raised throughout the voyage. 

Having rested and victualled his ship, in a short 
time Porter hoisted his anchors, spread his sails, 
and sailed out to sea again. 

He had been out but a few days when he came 
across a Peruvian corsair. Ordering her to heave to, 
he boarded her, and found, to his astonishment, that 
she had on board twenty-four American sailors, the 
crews of two whaling ships which she had taken on 
the coast of Chili. When asked to explain his con- 
duct, the Peruvian captain answered that, in view of 
the fact that his country was an ally of Great Brit- 
ain, and that war was soon to be declared between 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX 1 73 

Spain and America, he had taken matters into his 
own hand. Porter, much incensed, released the 
American sailors, and having thrown all the ammu- 
nition and guns of the rather previous pirate over- 
board, he was let go, with a letter to the Viceroy, 
complaining of his conduct. 

Just before the Essex entered the harbor of Lima 
she overhauled one of the corsair's prizes, replaced 
her crew on board of her, and sent them on their 
way to New Bedford rejoicing. 

For a year the Essex cruised up and down the 
coast of South America, extending her voyages far 
to the westward, to the various islands, which were 
visited then infrequently by traders and whaling ves- 
sels. 

During this cruise she frightened British com- 
merce entirely from these waters, and the strange 
spectacle of seeing one ship in control of a vast ter- 
ritory was presented to the eyes of the world. The 
British Admiralty were vexed and astounded be- 
yond measure. Here one day and there the next. 
Porter appeared to be in command of a fleet instead 
of a single frigate. 

He had fitted one of the captured British whalers 
as a tender, and named her the Essex Junior, plac- 
ing her under the command of Lieutenant Downes, 
giving her an armament of ten 1 8-pound carronades 
and ten short sixes, with a complement of sixty men. 

At last, tiring of capturing merchantmen and glut- 
ted with the spoils of easy victories. Porter decided 



174 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

to look for larger game ; for the news had been 
brought to him that the vessels which the little brig 
had reported at New York so long before were on 
their way, sailing under orders to find him at all 
hazards. 

His ship required repairing, and therefore he 
sailed, accompanied by his convoy of prizes, to the 
island of Nookaheeva, one of the Washington 
group, that had been discovered by Captain In- 
graham, of Boston. Porter took possession in the 
name of the United States, renaming it " Madison 
Island." 

Here he cached many of his stores, and anchored 
three of the prizes well inshore. Erecting a small 
battery in a good position to command the small 
harbor, Lieutenant Gamble, of the marines, and twen- 
ty-one men were left with orders to proceed to Val- 
paraiso after a certain period. Two of the captures 
were given up to the prisoners and sent to England. 
Three had been sent to America, and some were 
already anchored in the neutral port of Valparaiso. 
It was December 12th when Porter set sail from 
Madison Island for the coast of Chili. The Essex 
Junior followed in his wake. 

He arrived safely in the harbor, and had been 
there but a short time, overhauling his spars and 
running-gear, when two sail came in from the west- 
ward ; they were the Phoebe, under the command of 
Captain Hillyar, and the Cherub, sloop of war — both 
strongly armed and manned with picked crews — 



THE LOSS OF THE ''ESSEX 1 75 

the very ships that had been sent out to look for 
the Essex. 

No sooner had they come into sight of the long 
headland than they found the frigate they were 
so eager to meet, within a short distance of them. 
Then it was plain that they were not going to allow 
her to escape. 

The British vessels, as they came down the har- 
bor upon their first entrance, sailed quite close to 
the American — so close, indeed, that, in endeav- 
oring to come about, the Phoebe missed stays 
and fell afoul of the Essex, presenting herself in 
position to be raked fore and aft; but Porter re- 
spected the neutrality of the port and restrained 
his fire. 

Had he known what was going to happen within 
the next few weeks, there probably would have been 
a different termination to the Essex s glorious cruise. 

The divisions were all at quarters, matches burn- 
ing, and it was with difficulty that the feverish sea- 
men could be held in check. 

So close were the ships that the men standing at 
the guns on the British vessels could be easily seen, 
even taunts were exchanged and grimaces were made 
over the bulwarks and through the open ports. 

Sailing across to the other side of the harbor, and 
tacking again, the British vessels anchored near the 
entrance. 

Now for some time ensued a remarkable condition 
of affairs. The commanders met on shore and ex- 



176 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

changed gravely the courtesies which navy men 
extended to one another in those days, beUigerents 
though they were. The shore parties of both forces 
meeting in town, under strict orders, for a wonder, 
managed to keep from fighting, but they were itch- 
ing to be at it. 

Porter had long flown a flag of his own with the 
motto, " Free Trade and Sailors' Rights." 

But, as if not to be outdone, the British command- 
er threw to the air his strips of bunting with a 
motto of his own: "God and Country. British Sail- 
ors' Best Rights. Traitors Offend Both." (It was 
a fallacy of the British that our ships were manned 
by deserters from the royal service.) 

The sail-maker and his assistant were soon at 
work on board the American, and from the mizzen- 
mast of the Essex appeared the next morning : 

" God, Our Country, and Liberty. Tyrants Offend 
Them." 

Many times had Porter tried to get a challenge 
from Captain Hillyar (as the Essex was the weaker 
vessel, he was not in a position to offer the challenge 
himself), and he let it be well understood that he 
would meet the Phcebe, in open combat, and would 
agree that the Essex Junior should take no hand, 
on the condition that the Cherub also should remain 
inactive. 

The prudence of Captain Hillyar cannot but be 
commended. He was under strict orders not to run 
any risks ; he knew his enemy was at his mercy ; 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX l^^ 

but the Essex had been put down, as most of our 
cruisers were in those days, as " a dangerous non- 
descript," to quote from the British press of the time. 
In fact, many British frigates in the Adantic waters, 
where the Constitutio7i had gained her laurels, kept 
near to the great towering battle-ships — guard-ships, 
they were called. 

It was all arranged that if the Essex should show 
a tendency to make her way to sea, the P/icede and 
Cherub would attack her simultaneously. That was 
their idea in sailing in each other's company. 

Fearing that Porter might take advantage of a 
favorable wind to slip past them if they remained at 
anchor. Captain Hillyar left the harbor, and with the 
Phoebe proceeded to sea, where both ships patrolled 
up and down like sentries at a prison gate. 

The united force of the English vessels amounted 
to eighty-one guns and five hundred men, in addi- 
tion to which they had taken on board for the nonce 
the crew of an English letter-of-marque that was 
then lying in port. 

The force of the Essex consisted of 46 guns, all 
of which, except six long twelves, were 32-pound 
carronades, and useless except in close fighting. 
Her crew, much reduced by the manning of her 
many prizes, consisted of but two hundred and fifty 
men. The armament of the Essex Junior we have 
named before. 

It was evident that as long as the British vessels 

remained where they were, the Essex was as good as 
12 



1/8 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

captured. Something must be done, and with such 
a commander as Porter the boldest plan was the 
most attractive. 

Many incidents had occurred to break the monot- 
ony of the blockade. Many times had he left his 
anchorage, spread his sails, and made a feint of leav- 
ing the harbor, and in all these trials he had found 
that his ship could give the others points and beat 
them, so far as sailing went. 

On one occasion the British ships stood boldly in 
before the wind and bore down upon the Essex, part 
of whose crew had been given shore leave; but be- 
fore the tars had gone far into the town they saw 
the approaching sails, and some crowded into the 
little native boats that were hauled up along the 
shore; many even started to swim back to their vessel. 

The drum rolled and flags went up to the Essex s 
mast-heads ; but Hillyar at that moment respected 
the international law, hauled his wind, and went 
back to his blockading. 

After a consultation with Lieutenant Downs, it 
was decided by Porter that the period of inaction 
must be broken. A rendezvous was appointed, and 
it was agreed that the Essex should allow the British 
ships to chase her offshore, and give the Essex 
Junior a chance to make her escape. 

The very next day after arriving at this decision 
the wind came on to blow fresh from the southward, 
and then followed a chapter of accidents as dis- 
astrous as ever happened to any one unlucky vessel. 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX 1 79 

Even in yacht-racing the best boat does not al- 
ways win ; no allowances are made for accidents, 
hard luck is an element that cannot be forestalled, 
and thus it will always be in naval warfare. It must 
be confessed that the fates were ao;ainst America 
on this day, the 28th of March. 

The wind, which had started with a fresh breeze, 
grew stronger and stronger, and, the anchorage 
being hard ground, the Essex began to drag her 
anchors seaward. Suddenly her larboard cable 
parted, and she went, stern foremost, at a good rate 
of speed towards the harbor entrance. The advent- 
ure could be put off no longer. Trusting in the 
superior sailing of the Essex to be able to work to 
windward, Porter hoisted his topgallant-sails, braced 
around his yards, and came close upon the wind. 

The British vessels, off to leeward, crowded on all 
sail. In the white-caps there was very little sea, for 
the fitful wind was new and off the land. 

It looked as if the EssexyN^xo. going to escape ; but 
just as she rounded the point, the muzzles of her 
guns almost in the water, another link in the chain 
of unfortunate circumstances was forged; there was 
a crash, and the main-topmast went by the board, 
broken short above the top. The men who were 
then lying out upon the yards went down with the 
great spar over the side, and all were drowned. 
The Essex brought up as if she had struck a shoal. 

The English ships were now coming fast. Porter 
had no alternative but to endeavor to get back to 



l8o NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

the protection of the port; but he could not reach 
his former anchorage, hampered as he was by the 
wreckage at his side. Therefore he made secure all 
sail upon his foremast and ran for shore, anchoring 
there about a pistol-shot distance from the beach, 
and three-quarters of a mile to leeward of the bat- 
tery on the east side of the harbor. Here he worked 
industriously to clear his decks and cut away the 
tangled wreckage, but in the midst of this the crew 
of the Essex saw that they were not to be unmo- 
lested. 

Hillyar had determined to take advantage of the 
moment the Phosbe and Cherub came down be- 
fore the breeze, which was now dying away, and, 
breaking all precedent of neutrality, they opened up 
their broadsides upon their almost helpless antago- 
nist. It was nearly four o'clock when the first gun 
was fired. 

Porter, seeing that the action was going to begin, 
endeavored to get a spring upon his cable, and bring 
a broadside to bear upon the British ships. He 
hoisted every flag he had, at every point where he 
could reeve a halyard, awaiting quietly the nearer 
onslaught, and praying for close quarters. 

The Phoebe placed herself under the stern, and the 
Cherub on his starboard bow ; but so hot was the 
Essex s answer to the latter that she bore up and 
ran under his stern also ; and now followed such 
slaughter as has hardly been equalled in naval war- 
fare. From their positions they raked the hull of 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX" l8l 

the Essex through and through, cutting long gashes 
in her sides, and aiming with precision, as if they 
were firing for practice at a helpless hull. Against 
all this destructive cannonade Porter could only 
bring to bear three long 12-pounders, which he had 
run out of the stern ports and the cabin-windows, 
and well were they manned and served. 

Two or three times did he manage to get a spring 
upon his cable, and had half turned his broadside 
towards the enemy, but every time was the hawser 
shot away, and the poor ship drifted back to her al- 
most defenceless position. Some of the round shot 
and whole charges of grape from the Phoebe s guns 
swept the Essex's decks from stern-post to the heel 
of her bowsprit. Whole crews were slaughtered as 
they worked the few guns able to be brought to bear ; 
but as fast as the men were shot or blown away their 
places were filled by others. At one gun fifteen men 
were killed, and as many wounded and carried be- 
low. 

At this point in the combat Hillyar signalled the 
Cherub, and they both drew off to repair their dam- 
ages, that were far from slight. 

Again in a few minutes they came down before 
the wind, and took a new position athwart the Es- 
sex's bows. To this fire Porter could not bring a 
single gun to answer. Again the decks of the Es- 
sex were red with blood ; there had been no time to 
move the wounded, and the dead lay huddled about 
in all directions. Now the shots even entered the 



1 82 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

cockpit, and the men were killed as they lay on the 
operating-tables under the doctor's knife. To add 
to the horror, the Essex had caught on fire forward 
and aft. 

Still undismayed, Porter determined to close with 
the enemy. The only sail that could be hoisted, 
owing to the mangled condition of the rigging, was 
the flying-jib. He raised this, cut his cable, and ran 
down on both ships, with the intention of boarding 
the Phoebe if possible. 

At the prospect of being able to fight back, his 
men revived again, and a cheer ran along the shat- 
tered decks. 

As the running-gear of the enemy was still intact, 
they easily kept out of the Essex s way, the Phoebe 
edged off, and, choosing her distance, kept up her 
tremendous firing. Putting his helm hard down, 
Captain Porter, finding the wind had shifted slight- 
ly, determined to run his ship on shore, land the 
crew, and blow her up. He approached once more 
within musket-shot of the sandy beach, when, in an 
instant, the wind shifted from the land, as if the 
British had bribed the elements, and once more the 
Essex was driving down upon the PhcBbe. But her 
tiller-ropes were shot away, and the poor hulk was 
totally unmanageable. 

At this moment one of the strangest incidents of 
the whole affair occurred. 

Lieutenant Downes of the Essex Junior, which 
still lay at her old anchorage under the guns at the 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX 183 

battery, loaded one of his boats and rowed through 
the fierce fusillade down to his superior officer. He 
came on board through a port, but his services 
could be of no avail. After a consultation, Porter 
ordered him to return to his own ship, and be pre- 
pared for defending her or destroying her in case of 
an attack. So Downes loaded his boat with wound- 
ed, and, leaving some of his crew on board the Essex 
to make room for them, he started to make his way 
back to his own little vessel. The enemy did not 
respect his cargo or his gallant action, but opened a 
hot fire upon him as he returned. Luckily, how- 
ever, the small cutter escaped swamping, and the 
men at the long oars jumped her through the water 
at a rapid rate, despite the plashing of the bullets all 
around them. 

Horrible now was the position of the American 
frigate. Her commander, in his desperation, per- 
sisted in the almost hopeless conflict, and succeed- 
ed, by bending a hawser to the sheet-anchor, in 
bringing his ship's head around ; the few remain- 
ing guns of his broadside opened once more, and, 
strange to say, the PhcBbe, which received this last 
and almost expiring effort, was beaten off ; but the 
hawser parted, and with it failed the last hope of 
the Essex. 

The flames that had started on her 2:un-deck and 
in her hold were bursting up the hatchways ; a 
bundle of cartridges exploded, killing two men ; and 
word was given out that the fire was near the maga- 



1 84 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

zine ! Every boat was cut to pieces ; it was three- 
quarters of a mile from shore. 

Thinking that the ship might blow up at any 
moment, Porter gave orders to those who could 
swim to jump overboard and make for land. 

The few remaining on board with the command- 
er extinguished the fire. Porter immediately sum- 
moned a consultation of his officers, and was sur- 
prised to find that only one responded — Acting 
Lieutenant Stephen Decatur Mc Knight; the others 
were killed, or below, disabled by their wounds. 

The late Admiral Farragut, who was a midship- 
man on board the Essex, had displayed wonderful 
courage throughout the engagement He was one 
of the few midshipmen who were able to keep the 
deck. 

Nothing could be done. The enemy in the 
smooth water had chosen their distance, and were 
firing by divisions in a deliberate, careful way, with 
coolness and accuracy. Almost every shot struck, 
and at twenty minutes past six Captain Porter, al- 
most weeping from the excess of his grief, gave or- 
ders to strike the colors. It is probable that the 
enemy did not perceive his action ; for ten minutes 
longer the terrible destruction continued ; and once 
more, thinking that Hillyar was going to show no 
quarter, the brave American was about to hoist his 
flag again and fight until he sank, when the fire of 
the enemy suddenly ceased. 

Thus ended one of the most bloody and obsti- 



THE " ESSEX " BEING CUT TO PIECES 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX" 1 85 

nately contested actions in naval record. Out of the 
255 men composing her crew, the Essex had but 151, 
including some of the wounded, able to stand on her 
decks ; 58 were killed outright, 50 wounded, and 31 
had been drowned. 

The inhabitants of the city during the action had 
crowded to the shore. Their sympathies had been 
all with the American. When they had seen the 
various times when the Essex appeared to gain a 
slight advantage their cheers could be heard com- 
ing across the water. So close had the action been 
fought that many of the round shot from the Phcebes 
guns had struck the land, and some of the specta- 
tors had been wounded. 

When the first British officer boarded the captured 
vessel, so shocking was the sight that met his eyes 
that, used to scenes of carnage though he was, he 
staggered back and almost fainted, struck with the 
sickening horror. 

The loss on the Phcebe and Cherub has never been 
ascertained, but it must have been severe. The 
former had received eighteen 12-pound shot below 
her water-line ; her first lieutenant was killed, and 
her spars were badly wounded. It was with some 
difficulty that she had been kept afloat, but it was 
with more difficulty still that the Essex could be 
prevented from going to the bottom. 

Captain Porter and his crew were paroled, and 
permitted to return to the United States in the Es- 
sex Junior, her armament having previously been 



1 86 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

taken out. When off New York Harbor they were 
overhauled by a razee frigate, the Saturji, of His 
Majesty's service, and the authority of the com- 
mander of the Phoebe to grant a passport to his 
prisoners was questioned. 

All night the Saturn held the unarmed Essex 
Jtmior under her lee ; but the next morning, taking 
advantage of a slight gray fog, Porter put off in his 
boat and rowed thirty miles to the shore, landing 
safely on Long Island. 

To quote from the contemporaries again : 

" His reception in the United States has been such 
as great service and distinguished valor deserve. 
The various interestino: and romantic rumors that 
had reached this country concerning him during his 
cruise in the Pacific had excited the curiosity of the 
public to see this modern Sindbad ; and, arriving in 
New York, his carriage was surrounded by the popu- 
lace, who took out the horses and dragged him, with 
shouts and acclamations, to his lodgings." 

The American commander's own account of the 
affair, which appears in a little volume entitled Por- 
ters Narrative, shows well the spirit of this doughty 
old seaman, who, to use the expression applied to 
him, " had rather have fought than ate." 

So virulent, however, were his tirades against the 
conduct of Captain Hillyar that it is only just to 
take into consideration that the latter commander, 
by refusing to take advantage of the many circum- 
stances, would have missed entirely the object of 



THE LOSS OF THE "ESSEX" 187 

his sailing from England; and his conduct has found 
many defenders among the writers of history on the 
other side of the water. 

The honor rolls of the United States navy show 
the records of many a family history, and the name 
Porter has been associated with the service from the 
Revolution to the present day. The late Admiral 
David D. Porter was the younger son of the David 
Porter of Essex fame, and he had been named after 
his father, who was a doughty old sea-captain of the 
Revolution. 

The second David Porter was born at Boston on 
the ist of February, 1780. Thus he was but thirty- 
two years of age at the outbreak of the war with 
Great Britain, and his school of training had been 
the same as that of all the younger officers who 
now found themselves for the first time in com- 
mand. He was with Bainbridge in the Philadelphia 
when that frigate was captured by the Tripolitans 
in 1803, and he suffered imprisonment with the rest 
of the officers during the time that Preble was en- 
deavoring to liberate them. He had the honor of 
making the first capture of a regular navy vessel of 
the war, when, in July, the Essex compelled the Alert, 
of 20 guns, to lower her flag. 



XIII 

THE "PEACOCK" AND THE "EPERVIER" 
[April 29th, 1814] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN LEWIS WARRINGTON 



CAPTAIN L. WARRINGTON, of Vir- 
ginia, has been given the command of the 
Peacock^ sloop of war of i8 guns. He ex- 
pects soon to set sail and cruise to the southward 
in search of the enem}^" 

Such is the personal note appearing in that enter- 
prising newspaper The Register, published in March, 
1814. 

The Captain Warrington referred to was but 
little known to the country at large, but those in a 
position of influence in the Navy Department must 
have discerned his worth and well estimated his 
valor, for they had given him command of the gal- 
lant little Peacock, of 18 guns (really mounting 22) 
and a crew of one hundred and sixty men. 

In the middle of March he sailed from New York 
Harbor, and cruised, without events of much im- 
portance, along the Florida shore as far as Cape 
Canaveral. On the 29th of April, in latitude 27° 
47' north and 80° 9' west longitude, the lookout 
spied three sails off to the windward. From the 
cut of the third, a brig, it was easy to mark her as 
a man-of-war. 

Upon the appearance of the Peacock the merchant- 
men hauled their wind, and the brig bore away for 



192 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

the American. She gallantly commenced the action, 
and at no time showed a disposition to take advan- 
tage of being to windward and escaping with her 
consorts. 

Neither vessel hailed, and there was little manoeu- 
vring. They began to fire at each other as soon as 
they were within range. In the beginning of the 
action the Peacock received two 32 -pound shot in 
her fore-yard, and her head-sails were rendered al- 
most useless. She was compelled to run at large ; 
and again was proved, what no authority on the 
other side could ever deny, the infinitely superior 
gunnery that existed under the system in vogue In 
the American navy. 

For a long time after the war there was much 
controversy concerning the weights of armament of 
the vessels engaged in single actions between this 
country and Great Britain. In this affair It Is only 
just to say that the Peacock carried thirty-two more 
in her crew; the number of guns was exactly the 
same, but the Peacock's broadside was about one and 
one-quarter pounds heavier to the gun. 

The action was continued for some time at close 
quarters, and once Captain Warrington drew off and 
hailed to ascertain whether his antagonist had struck, 
as her flag had been shot away. 

On renewlnsf the ensfaoiement the uselessness of 
continuing to fight was soon made apparent to the 
commander of the Epervier. She had received no 
less than forty-five shot in her hull, and had twenty- 



THE "PEACOCK CAPTURES "L'EPERVIER" 



THE "PEACOCK AND THE " EPERVIER I93 

two men killed and wounded ; the main-topmast was 
over her side. In fact, all her standinor riaorino; and 
spars were injured, and five feet of water was already 
in her hold. 

In hauling off to count up his injuries, Warring- 
ton discovered, to his delight, that not one round 
shot had reached his hull, that not one of his crew 
was killed, and only two were wounded. The effect 
of this news and the easy victory stimulated the 
Americans to tremendous exertion in trying to save 
the prize. 

Upon boarding her it was discovered that she 
carried ^118,000 in specie, and must have been a 
fine vessel when she commenced the action. With 
great difficulty the Americans succeeded in stopping 
some of the shot-holes beneath water, and turned 
all attention to caring for the prisoners and wound- 
ed, reeving new rigging and staying the tottering 
mainmast. 

The prize had struck at 1 1 a.m. At sunset she 
was in a comparatively safe position, and sail could 
be made. To his sorrow, the American commander 
had found upon boarding the Epervier that three 
impressed American seamen by the names of John- 
son, Peters, and Roberts had been killed. Often 
and often had it occurred that the impressed sailors 
for whom the United States had gone to war had 
been compelled to take up arms and serve the guns 
directed against the vessels of their own country. 
The anger at the news of these outrages must have 
13 



194 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

done much to animate the seamen who sought to 
revenge them. 

A contemporary speaks of the Epervier in this 
fashion : " She is one of the finest vessels of her 
class belonging to the enemy, built in 1812. She 
appears to have been one of their ' bragging vessels,' 
for it is said that when she left London bets were 
made that she would take an American sloop of 
war or small frigate." The odds must have been 
laid against events of that character thereafter. 

Warrington determined to save the prize if pos- 
sible, and placed her in command of Lieutenant J. 
B. Nicholson, with orders to proceed at once to 
Savannah. Knowing, however, that British vessels 
thronged the waters along the coast, Warrington 
determined to convoy his prize to port. He had 
hardly come within sight of land when two large 
frigates were discovered to the northward and lee- 
ward. 

The Peacock spoke the Epervier, and, after some 
conversation, a plan was agreed on. They were 
abreast of Amelia Island, and the frigates were fast 
approaching and crowding on all sail. 

Lieutenant Nicholson shouted to Captain War- 
rington to take off the crew from the Epervier and 
leave him and his sixteen men to handle her. War- 
rington complied, and endeavored to draw off the 
on-comers, it being his intention to try to slip into 
St. Mary's. Only one frigate fell to the ruse, and 
came about upon the Peacock's trail. The Epervier, 



THE "peacock" and THE " EPERVIER " I95 

which drew little water, kept well inshore, and un- 
der a light breeze made good headway. The wind, 
however, soon died to almost a calm, and the big 
vessel outside in the deeper water lowered her boats 
and manned them all, intending to cut out and re- 
take the prize inshore. Fitful gusts of wind swept 
the captured vessel along, but during every pause 
the steady rowing of the British sailors brought the 
armed boats nearer. Suddenly they stopped all ex- 
ertion, for Nicholson was shouting orders through 
his speaking-trumpet as if in command of one hun- 
dred men, instead of scarcely enough to haul his 
sheets and tacks. The ports dropped with a clatter 
and the boatswain s whistle rang out shrilly. The 
Englishmen were astounded ; fearing that they had 
been drawn into a trap, turning tail, they scuttled 
out of range as quickly as possible and returned to 
the frigate. A breeze sprang up at this moment, 
and Nicholson was able to keep the Epervicr on 
her course, and on the ist of May the brig arrived 
safely in Savannah. Three days later the Peacock 
came in also. 

Warrington's delight on seeing that his prize was 
safe was great, and he reported the Epervier in the 
following words: "She is one of their finest sloops 
of war, and is well calculated for our service. She 
sails extremely fast, and will require but little to 
send her to sea, as her armament and stores are 
complete." 

In his letter to the Secretary of the Navy, when 



196 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

at sea, on the night of the action, he speaks of his 
crew in this manly fashion : " Every officer, seaman, 
and marine did his duty, which is the highest com- 
pliment I can pay them." 

The Peacock did not remain long inactive, but 
sailed for the Bay of Biscay and cruised along the 
coast of Portugal and among the islands. Time 
and again she was chased by English vessels, and 
was kept dodging from one position to another to 
avoid the many squadrons. It was not her luck to 
come across another vessel of war of anything like 
her size, but she captured handily fourteen sail of 
merchantmen. 

The " commerce -destroyers" of those days were 
not spoken of in that term, but the trade of Great 
Britain was crippled severely by the swift- sailing 
privateers and our handy little sloops of war. 



XIV 

THE CRUISE OF THE "WASP" 

[1814] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN JOHNSTON BLAKELEY 



IN a ver}' amusing cartoon, printed in the lat- 
ter part of the year 1814 in an American pa- 
per, our cousin Johnnie Bull was represented 
flourishing a cutlass above his head and vainly en- 
deavorinof to defend himself from the attack of a 
nondescript -looking animal that had succeeded in 
running him through the body with its sting. 

As was the custom in drawing cartoons at that 
time, the legend issued from the lips in a cloud, and 
Johnnie Bull appeared to be smoking out the words, 
" Save me, oh, save me from this vicious insect !" 

The insect was supposed to be the United States 
sloop of war Wasp, of 18 guns, then on a most 
remarkable cruise in European waters. Under the 
command of Captain Johnston Blakeley her career 
had been smiled upon by good fortune. 

In a cruise of under four months she had captured 
thirteen British merchantmen, and had engaged and 
caused to surrender two of the finest brigs in the 
service of Great Britain. 

The value of her prizes was reckoned at not less 
than two hundred thousand pounds sterling. 

On the ist of May, 18 14, the little sloop had set 
sail from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She was 
manned by a crew of one hundred and seventy-three 



200 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

men, the majority of them being green hands, and 
many of them mere boys, for they averaged but 
twenty-three years in age. 

Meeting with some severe weather when only a 
few days out, it is on record that one-third of her 
crew were sea-sick for a week. This fact, however, 
did not prevent them from becoming great fighters 
afterwards. 

On the 2Sth of June, in latitude 48° 36', longitude 
11° 15', she fell in with the Reindeer, sloop of war 
in His Majesty's service, mounting 19 guns — six- 
teen 24-pound carronades, two long 9-pounders, and 
a shifting 12-pounder. She had on board a com- 
plement of one hundred and eighteen men. 

In an action that lasted but nineteen minutes 
from the first broadside, the Reindeer was destroyed, 
her ports having been blown into one gaping streak 
of splintered wood. Not a boat was left, and her 
foremast fell the day after the action. 

As it was found impossible to take her into port, 
the prisoners were removed from the Reindeer and 
she was set on fire. That she had been gallantly 
defended is evident from the reports of the action. 
William Manners, her commander, a brave, fearless 
man, was killed, and twenty-three ofificers and sea- 
men with him. The first lieutenant and the master 
were severely wounded, and forty seamen were on 
the list also. 

The Wasp lost five killed and twenty - one 
wounded. She was but slightly hurt, and within 



THE "WASP" TAKING THE "REINDEER" 



THE CRUISE OF THE "WASP 201 

a few hours of the action could have commenced 
another. 

Wishing to get rid of his prisoners as soon as 
possible, Captain Blakeley overhauled a Portuguese 
brig, placed them on board of her, and sent them to 
England. 

No doubt the Wasp was one of the finest sailing 
craft of her day. Her lines are spoken of as being 
remarkably fine ; and one of her officers writes, in a 
private letter, as follows : 

" The TVasJ> is a beautiful ship, and the finest sea 
boat, I believe, in the world. Our officers and crew 
are young and ambitious. They fight with more 
cheerfulness than they do any other duty. Captain 
Blakeley is a brave and discreet officer, as cool and 
collected in action as at table." 

In those old days of sailing, given the weather- 
gage and the breeze that suited her best qualities, 
a handy vessel could boldly sail into view of a pow- 
erful fleet of the enemy, and she could actually pre- 
sent the tableau of an agile wolf following at the 
heels of a very angry herd of bulls, any one of which 
could toss her into the air or grind her under foot. 
So spry a sailer was the Wasp that she could slip 
away from even a towering seventy-four, given her 
best weather. 

After a protracted and tedious stay in L'Orient,the 
little sloop made her way to sea on the 27th of Au- 
gust. On the 30th she captured the British brig Let- 
tice, and on the next day the British brig Bon Accord. 



202 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

The morning of the ist of September dawned 
bright and clear. There was just the breeze that 
enabled the Wasp to show her finest form. Very- 
early the lookout discovered a fleet of ten sail to 
the windward, away in advance. Plunging up and 
down lazily, scarcely moving in the light breeze, was 
a huge line-of-battle ship, and close to her was a 
bomb vessel. 

The Yankee captain audaciously came down be- 
fore the wind. In full sight of H. M. S. Armada, the 
seventy-four, and the other armed consort, Blakeley 
cut out the brig Mary. She was laden with brass 
and iron cannon and military stores from Gibraltar 
to England. As she was a slow sailer she was set 
on fire, after the prisoners had been removed. 

Endeavor was made to take another of the con- 
voy. The consternation and rage of the commander 
of the ship of line can well be imagined. There was 
not breeze enough for his great vessel to make head- 
way by tacking, but the wind, changing a few points, 
enabled him to creep down towards the American, 
whereupon Blakeley swung about leisurely, and soon 
left the ponderous Englishman hull down. 

When he had shaken off his pursuer he resumed 
his course, and at half-past six in the evening sighted 
four vessels at almost the same moment; two were 
to starboard and two off the larboard bow, the lat- 
ter being farthest to windward. He picked out the 
nearest, a brig, and set all sail to come within gun- 
shot of her. 



THE CRUISE OF THE " WASP 203 

At seven the chase commenced makino: sio-nals 
with flags, and soon after with lanterns and rockets. 
It was past nine o'clock and quite dark when the 
Wasp came up within hailing distance. 

To quote from a British account of the affair, 
dated Cork, September 7th: "The Englishman 
spoke first, and demanded to know who the silent 
on-comer was. The ' Yankee,' in reply," says the ac- 
count, " called through his trumpet, ' Heave to, and 
I'll let you know who I am.' At the same time a 
gun was fired by the Avon, and the most sanguina- 
ry action commenced, which continued until eleven 
o'clock, when the American sheared off and said, 
'This is the Waspy Then the British account, for 
some reason, adds : " She appeared to be in a sink- 
ing state and glad to get away." 

In Captain Blakeley's letter to the Secretary of 
the Navy he mentions circumstances which may 
throw some light upon the actual happenings. Af- 
ter an hour's sharp interchange of broadsides it was 
imagined that the Avon had struck, and orders were 
given to cease firing, Blakeley hailed, but received 
no answer. Suddenly the Britisher opened up with 
his guns again. It was twelve minutes past ten 
when he was hailed the second time. The enemy 
had suffered greatly, and had made no return to his 
last two broadsides. A cutter was lowered away, and 
as it was leaving the side of the Wasp to board the 
prize a second brig was discovered a little distance 
astern standing down before the freshening breeze. 



204 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

The crew were again sent to quarters, and every- 
thing was made ready for another action. A few 
minutes later the two other sail which had been 
off to windward were discovered also cominor down 
towards the Wasp. The braces of the latter had 
been shot away, and it was necessary to keep off 
the wind until others might be rove. Blakeley did 
not endeavor to hasten. It was his intention to draw 
the second and foremost brig away from her com- 
panions and engage her as soon as they had reached 
a good distance from the others. To his surprise, 
however, the brig, which, from the English account, 
we make out to be the Castilian, hauled her wind as 
soon as she came within range, fired one broad- 
side, and retraced her course to join her consorts, 
who were gathered about the Avon. 

To Blakeley's disappointment, he had to give up 
taking the prize, whose name and forces he did not 
know, as it had been impossible to distinguish the 
answer to his first hail. 

The Wasp was struck by four shot in the hull, 
each of which shot was thirty-two pounds in weight, 
being one and three-quarter pounds heavier than 
any the American carried. 

For a long time the fate of the vessel which she 
had been fighting was not known, but she sank a 
few hours after the action. The loss on board the 
Wasp was two killed and one wounded. From the 
English account, the loss on board the Avon was 
nine killed and thirty-three wounded. As she was 



THE " WASP S FIGHT WITH THE " AVON 



<.t' . 



THE CRUISE OF THE " WASP " 205 

sinking, the Tartarus^ a sloop of war, came up and 
took on board forty of her crew. 

In the Hst of the vessels of the American navy in 
commission during the war of 1812 the name of the 
Wasp is starred, with one or two others bearing the 
same mark, and, looking at the bottom of the page, 
we see this short comment, " Lost at sea." This 
was the sad fate of the gallant little craft which 
caused John Bull so much trouble in her short 
career. It was never known what became of her. 
Some authorities on the British side stated that she 
had sunk from the injuries received in her action 
with the Avon; but of course we have the report 
of Captain Blakeley sent by a vessel spoken off the 
Western Isles. 

In speaking of the disappearance a contemporary 
writes : " The most general impression is that she 
[the Wasp\ was lost by one of those casualties in- 
cident to the great deep which have destroyed so 
many gallant vessels in a manner no one knows 
how." 

A strange circumstance, however, gives rise to a 
supposition. A British frigate put into Lisbon in a 
shattered condition. She reported having fallen in 
with a vessel and having engaged her through the 
better part of the night. She had made out that her 
antagonist was much smaller than herself, and evi- 
dently an American. She had not surrendered, and 
had disappeared suddenly, " as if the sea had swal- 
lowed her." This may have been the Wasp. 



206 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF lSl2 

The fact remains, however, that no trace of her 
or any of her crew was ever found after she spoke 
the vessel at the Western Isles. The first Wasp, 
captured with her prize (the British sloop Frolic) 
by an English ship of the line, was also lost at sea, 
after being refitted and commissioned in the Eng- 
lish service. 

Johnston Blakeley was an Irish- American. He 
was born in Ireland (in the village of Seaford, in the 
county of Down). When he was but two years old 
his father, John Blakeley, emigrated to America and 
took up his residence in Philadelphia, from whence 
he moved to the South. He had the misfortune to 
lose all of his children with the exception of John- 
ston, whom he sent to New York for his education. 
This was in the year 1790; but the young man, al- 
though he studied law with the intention of becom- 
ing a member of the bar, gave up all idea of it short- 
ly after his father's death. He left the University of 
North Carolina, at which he was a student, and suc- 
ceeded in getting a midshipman's warrant when he 
was nineteen years of age, much older than the aver- 
asfe run of reefers. 

Blakeley was a favorite with all who knew him, 
and his loss was mourned by all his countrymen. 



XV 

THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN 
[September nth, 1814] 





MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN- THOMAS MACDOXOUGH 



THE first Thomas Macdonough was a ma- 
jor in the Continental army, and his three 
sons also possessed desires for entering 
the service of their country. The oldest had been 
a midshipman under Commodore Truxton, but be- 
ing wounded in the action between the Constellation 
and L' Insurgent, he had to retire from the navy ow- 
ing to the amputation of his leg. But his younger 
brother, Thomas Macdonough, Jr., succeeded him, 
and he has rendered his name and that of Lake 
Champlain inseparable; but his fearlessness and 
bravery were shown on many occasions long before 
he was ordered to the lakes. 

In 1806 he was first lieutenant of the Siren, a 
little sloop of war in the Mediterranean service. 
On one occasion when Captain Smith, the com- 
mander of the Siren, had gone on shore, young 
Lieutenant Macdonough saw a boat from a British 
frigate lying in the harbor row up to an American 
brig a short distance off, and afterwards put out 
again with one more man in her than she had or'w- 
inally. This looked suspicious, and Macdonough 
sent to the brig to ascertain the reason, with the 
result that he found that an American had been 
impressed by the English captain's orders. Macdon- 
14 



2IO NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

ough quietly lowered his own boat, and put after the 
heavy cutter, which he soon overhauled. Although 
he had but four men with him, he took the man out 
of the cutter and brought him on board the Siren. 
When the English captain heard, or rather saw, 
what had occurred — it was right under the bow 
of his frigate that the affair took place — he waxed 
wroth, and, calling away his gig, he rowed to the 
Siren to demand an explanation. 

The following account of the incident is quoted 
from the life of Macdonough in Frost's Naval Biog- 
raphy : 

" The Englishman desired to know how Mac- 
donough dared to take a man from one of His 
Majesty's boats. The lieutenant, with great polite- 
ness, asked him down into the cabin ; this he re- 
fused, at the same time repeating the same demand, 
with abundance of threats. The Englishman threw 
out some threats that he would take the man by 
force, and said he would haul the frigate alongside 
the Siren for that purpose. To this Macdonough 
replied that he supposed his ship could sink the 
Siren, but as long as she could swim he should 
keep the man. The English captain said to Mac- 
donough: 

" ' You are a very young man, and a very indiscreet 
young man. Suppose I had been in the boat — 
what would you have done V 

" ' I would have taken the man or lost my life.' 

" ' What, sir ! would you attempt to stop me, if 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN 211 

I were now to attempt to impress men from that 
brig ?' 

" ' I would ; and to convince yourself I would, you 
have only to make the attempt.' 

" On this the Englishman went on board his ship, 
and shortly afterwards was seen bearing down in her 
in the direction of the American vessel. Macdonough 
ordered his boat manned and armed, got into her 
himself, and was in readiness for pursuit. The Eng- 
lishman took a circuit around the American brig, 
and returned again to the frigate. When Captain 
Smith came on board he justified the conduct of 
Macdonough, and declared his intention to protect 
the American seaman." 

Although Macdonough was very young, and his 
rank but that of a lieutenant, people who knew him 
were not surprised to hear that he had been ap- 
pointed to take command of the little squadron on 
Lake Champlain. These vessels were built of green 
pine, and almost without exception constructed in a 
hurried fashion. They had to be of light draught, 
and yet, odd to relate, their general model was the 
same as that of ships that were expected to meet 
storms and high seas. 

Macdonough was just the man for the place; as 
in the case of Perry, he had a superb self-reliance 
and was eager to meet the enemy. 

Lake Champlain and the country that surrounds 
it were considered of great importance by the Eng- 
lish, and, descending from Canada, large bodies of 



212 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

troops poured into New York State. But the Ameri- 
can government had, long before the war was fair- 
ly started, recognized the advantage of keeping the 
water communications on the northern frontier. 
The English began to build vessels on the upper 
part of the lake, and the small force of ships belong- 
ing to the Americans was increased as fast as pos- 
sible. It was a race to see which could prepare the 
better fleet in the shorter space of time. 

In the fall of the year 1814 the English had one 
fairly sized frigate, the Confiance, mounting 39 guns ; 
a brig, the Lmnet ; a sloop, Chubb, and the sloop 
Finch; besides which they possessed thirteen large 
galleys, aggregating 18 guns. In all, therefore, the 
English fleet mounted 95 guns. The Americans 
had the Saratoga, sloop of war, 26 guns ; the Ea- 
gle, 20; the Ticonderoga, \']\ the Preble, 7; and ten 
galleys carrying 16; their total armament was nine 
guns less than the British. 

By the first week in September, Sir George Pre- 
vost had organized his forces, and started at the 
head of fourteen thousand men to the southward. 
It was his intention to dislodge General Macomb, 
who was stationed at Plattsburg, where considerable 
fortifications had been erected. A great deal of the 
militia force had been drawn down the State to the 
city of New York, owing to the fears then enter- 
tained that the British intended making an attack 
upon the city from their fleet. It was Sir George's 
plan to destroy forever the power of the Americans 



THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN 213 

upon the lake, and for that reason it was necessary 
to capture the naval force which had been for some 
time under the command of Macdonough. The Eng- 
lish leader arranged a plan with Captain Downie, 
who was at the head of the squadron, that simulta- 
neous attacks should be made by water and land. 
At eight o'clock on the morning of September nth 
news was brought to Lieutenant Macdonough that 
the enemy was approaching. As his own vessels 
were in a good position to repel an attack, he de- 
cided to remain at anchor, and await the onslaught 
in a line formation. In about an hour the enemy 
had come within gunshot distance, and formed a 
line of his own parallel with that of the Americans. 
There was little or no breeze, and consequently small 
chance for manoeuvring. The Confiance evidently 
claimed the honor of exchanofino; broadsides with 
the Saratoga. The Linnet stopped opposite the 
Eagle, and the galleys rowed in and began to fire at 
the Ticonderoga and the Preble. 

MacdonouQ"h wrote such a clear and concise ac- 
count of the action that it is best to quote from it: 

"... The whole force on both sides became en- 
gaged, the Saratoga suffering much from the heavy 
fire of the Conjiance. I could perceive at the same 
time, however, that our fire was very destructive to 
her. The Ticonderoga, Lieutenant- Commandant 
Cassin, gallantly sustained her full share of the ac- 
tion. At half-past ten the Eagle, not being able to 
bring her guns to bear, cut her cable, and anchored 



214 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

in a more eligible position, between my ship and 
the Tzconderoga, where she very much annoyed the 
enemy, but unfortunately leaving me exposed to a 
galling fire from the enemy's brig. 

" Our guns on the starboard side being nearly all 
dismounted or unmanageable, a stern -anchor was 
let go, the bower - cable cut, and the ship winded 
with a fresh broadside on the enemy's ship, which 
soon after surrendered. Our broadside was then 
sprung to bear on the brig, which struck about fif- 
teen minutes afterwards. The sloop which was op- 
posed to the Eagle had struck some time before, and 
drifted down the line. The sloop which was with 
their galleys had also struck. Three of their gal- 
leys are said to be sunk; the others pulled off. Our 
galleys were about obeying with alacrity the signal 
to follow them, when all the vessels were reported to 
me to be in a sinking state. It then became nec- 
essary to annul the signal to the galleys, and order 
their men to the pumps. I could only look at the 
enemy's galleys going off in a shattered condi- 
tion; for there was not a mast in either squadron 
that could stand to make sail on. The lower rig:- 
ging, being nearly all shot away, hung down as 
though it had just been placed over the mast- 
heads. 

" The Sar^atoga had fifty-nine round shot in her 
hull ; the Confiance one hundred and five. The 
enemy's shot passed principally just over our heads, 
as there were not twenty whole hammocks in the 



THE PLIGHT OF THE ENGLISH FLAGSHIP 



m\ 




"T-'^Si^' 





THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN 21$ 

nettings at the close of the action, which lasted, 
without intermission, two hours and twenty minutes. 

" The absence and sickness of Lieutenant Ray- 
mond Perry left me without the assistance of that 
able officer. Much ought fairly to be attributed to 
him for his great care and attention in disciplining 
the ship's crew, as her first lieutenant. His place 
was filled by a gallant young officer, Lieutenant 
Peter Gamble, who, I regret to inform you, was 
killed early in the action." 

The English had begun the action as if they 
never doubted the result being to their advantage, 
and before taking up their positions in the line 
parallel to Macdonough's, Downie had sailed upon 
the waiting fleet bows on ; thus most of his ves- 
sels had been severely raked before they were able 
to return the fire. As soon as Sir George Prevost 
saw the results of the action out on the water, he 
gave up all idea of conquest, and began the retreat 
that left New York free to breathe again. The 
frontier was saved. The hills and the shores of the 
lake had been crowded with multitudes of farmers, 
and the two armies encamped on shore had stopped 
their own preparations and fighting to watch. 

Sir George Prevost had bombarded the American 
forts from the opposite side of the River Saranac, 
and a brigade endeavored to ford the river with the 
intention of attacking the rear of General Macomb's 
position. However, they got lost in the woods, and 
were recalled by a mounted messenger just in time 



2l6 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

to hear the cheers and shouts of victory arise from 
all about them. 

In the battle the Saratoga had twenty-eight men 
killed and twenty-nine wounded, more than a quar- 
ter of her entire crew ; the Eagle lost thirteen killed 
and twenty wounded ; the Ticoiideroga, six killed 
and six wounded ; the Preble, two killed ; and the 
galleys, three killed and three wounded. The Sara- 
toga was hulled fifty-five times, and had caught on 
fire twice from the hot shot fired by the Confiance. 
The latter vessel was reported to have lost forty-one 
killed outright and eighty-three wounded. In all, the 
British loss was eighty-four killed and one hundred 
and ten wounded. 

Macdonough received substantial testimonials of 
gratitude from the country at large, the Legislature 
of New York giving him one thousand acres of 
land and the State of Vermont two hundred. Be- 
sides this, the corporations of Albany and New 
York City made him the present of a valuable lot, 
and from his old command in the Mediterranean he 
received a handsome presentation sword. 



XVI 

THE LOSS OF THE "PRESIDENT" 

[January 15th, 181 5] 



IN recording the actions of the war of 1812 that 
gave lustre to our navy and added to the rec- 
ords of its heroes, we have already included 
two in which the results were defeat and capture 
of American ships. The Essex and the Chesapeake 
are here referred to, the latter being the only case in 
which the opposing forces approached an equality. 
There is one other action still to be touched upon, 
which, though disastrous, cannot but reflect honor 
upon those connected with it. 

Stephen Decatur, the idol of the American ser- 
vice, had been given the command of the frigate 
President, which had been refitting in the harbor of 
New York. 

On the evening of the 14th of January, 181 5, he 
sailed into the lower bay, intending to make his 
way to sea under cover of the night, as it was 
known that a heavy squadron of the English had 
been hovering along the coasts of New Jersey and 
Lono: Island. 

In leaving the harbor near Sandy Hook, owing 
to some mistake of the pilot, the President ground- 
ed heavily on a sand-bar, and for an hour and a 
half sne struck continually in her efforts to escape, 
breaking several of her rudder-braces and straining 



220 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

her seams so badly that she commenced to leak very 
fast. Decatur determined to return to the harbor, 
as he suspected, what was afterwards proved to be 
true, that the President had carried away part of her 
false keel, and was badly hogged {i. e., broken and 
bent near her keelson). Owing to a strong wind 
rising, it was found impossible to put the President 
about, and the tide being at the flood, it became 
necessary to force her over the bar at all hazards. 
By ten o'clock that night she had succeeded in free- 
ing herself, and shaped her course along the shore 
of Long Island, steering southeast by east. 

Shortly after daybreak three ships were discov- 
ered ahead. The President hauled her wind and 
passed two miles to the northward of them. As the 
morning mist disappeared, it was discovered that 
four ships were in chase — one on each quarter and 
two astern. The leading ship, from the height of 
her towering masts, was made out to be a razee. 
She commenced firing, but at such a distance that 
the shot fell short. 

At twelve the steady breeze which had been blow- 
ing became light and baffling. The President^ de- 
spite her crippled condition, had left the large ves- 
sel far behind, but the next ship astern was proving 
herself a faster sailer, and was gradually gaining — 
creeping up with every puff of wind. The Pres- 
ident sat deep in the water, and plunged down- 
ward into the sea as if she had been waterlogged. 
Immediately all hands were occupied in lightening 



THE LOSS OF THE "PRESIDENT 221 

the ship, starting the water in the butts, cutting 
away the anchors, throwing overboard provisions, 
cables, spare boats, and every article to be gotten at, 
while the men aloft were hoisting buckets and keep- 
ing the sails wet from the royals down. 

At three o'clock the large ship, which had been 
joined by a brig, came up rapidly. It was the En- 
dymioii, mounting 50 guns, and she commenced to 
fire as she neared with her forward battery, while 
Decatur replied with his stern - chasers. Thus it 
continued for two hours, when the Enorlishman ob- 
tained a position on the starboard quarter at less 
than point-blank range, and maintained it so clev- 
erly that neither the President's stern nor quarter 
guns would bear. For half an hour the vessels 
sailed on, firing occasional guns, and keeping back 
their broadsides, the Englishman wishing, no doubt, 
to capture the President without crippling her, 
while Decatur hoped to be able to close, as he had 
had his boarders waiting for some time. It became 
evident, however, that the Englishman did not wish 
close quarters; and as it was growing dusk, Decatur 
made up his mind to alter his course farther to the 
south, for the purpose of bringing the enemy abeam. 
Meanwhile the ships astern were approaching, and 
would soon be within range. For two hours and a 
half longer the Englishman and the President sailed 
side by side, and the action gave cause for some 
pretty writing and press controversy afterwards, as 
all unfinished international contests will. 



222 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

However, there is no question whatever that the 
President during the running fight completely dis- 
abled her antao^onist, and at last left her driftinor 
round and round helplessly before eight o'clock had 
passed. 

It was growing dark, but the other ships of the 
squadron could be made out by their signal-lights, 
and to lower a boat to take possession of the En- 
dymion was impossible. One more attempt Decatur 
made to avoid capture, and to accomplish this he 
sailed close to the Endyrnion and exposed himself 
to a raking fire, being within range for over half an 
hour, but not a shot was heard. The Englishman 
had been placed entirely out of the combat. 

At eleven it had lightened considerably, and two 
fresh ships of the enemy had crawled up within 
gunshot. They were the Poinone and the Tencdos, 
heavy frigates. When within musket - shot the Po- 
mone opened fire on the larboard bow, and the Ten- 
edos swung across the President's wake, taking a rak- 
ing position on her quarter. 

With a breaking heart the gallant Decatur saw 
that there was nothinor for it but surrender. One- 
fifth of his crew had been killed or wounded, the 
ship was crippled aloft and leaking badly, and he 
hauled down his flag. 

The joy of the English officers when they found 
who it was that had yielded to them was great, and 
it must be recorded that they did everything in 
their power to make it comfortable for the wound- 



THE "PRESIDENT ENDEAVORING TO ESCAPE 



1 



'" 1 



THE LOSS OF THE "PRESIDENT" 223 

ed, and that their treatment of the officers was cour- 
teous and kindly. For twent3^-four hours after the 
action it fell a dead calm, and the crews of the 
squadron were kept occupied in repairing the crip- 
pled ships. As if to enforce the idea that the En- 
dyinion had not surrendered, Decatur was placed on 
board of her, a cabin prisoner. 

On the 1 7th a tremendous gale came from the east- 
ward, which played havoc with the late combatants, 
the President's masts going by the board, and the 
Endymion losing her bowsprit, fore and main mast, 
and mizzen-topmast, being compelled to throw over- 
board all her upper-deck guns. It had been impos- 
sible for Decatur to ascertain the exact number of 
the killed and wounded, but he speaks of his great 
sorrow at the loss of three of his most trusted lieu- 
tenants — Babbit, Howell, and Hamilton, the last 
being the son of the late Secretary of the Navy. 
It was he who had had the honor of conveying the 
news of the capture of the Macedonian to Wash- 
ington, and who had appeared, as we have record- 
ed, at the ball given by Dolly Madison wrapped in 
the colors of the captured ship. 

Decatur and his officers were given the freedom 
of the island of Bermuda, and crowds swarmed to 
visit the captured President as she lay decked with 
British flags in the harbor. 

Captain Hays of the Majestic, to whom Decatur 
had surrendered his sword, returned it at once, and 
proved to be a friend who was worth the gaining. 



224 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

Upon the investigation of the action Decatur was 
honorably exonerated, and Alexander Murray, the 
President of the Court of Inquiry, expressed himself 
in the following words : 

*' We consider the management of the President 
from the time the chase commenced until her sur- 
render as the highest evidence of the experience, 
skill, and resources of her commander, and of the 
ability and seamanship of her officers and crew. 
We fear that we cannot express in a manner that 
will do justice to our feelings our admiration of the 
conduct of Commodore Decatur and of all under 
his command. ... In this unequal conflict the ene- 
my gained a ship, but the victory was ours." 

Referring to the press comments at the time, a 
very interesting circumstance occurred, which may 
prove to be well worth the reading, especially as 
showing that contemporaneous press notices taking 
only one view of a question are untrustworthy re- 
corders of history. A Bermuda paper, the Royal 
Gazette, published on the 2d of April a scurrilous 
and unwarrantable attack, false in its every state- 
ment, that impugned the character of Decatur and 
cast a slur on the name of each one of his officers. 
The article, in giving the reports of the capture, 
stated that the President had struck to \k\^ Endy7nion, 
and that after she had done so Commodore Decatur 
concealed sixty-eight men in the hold of the Presi- 
dent for the purpose of rising on the prize crew and 
recapturing her. On the appearance of this account 



THE LOSS OF THE "PRESIDENT" 22$ 

Captain Hope of the Endymion Immediately sent 
an ofificer to Commodore Decatur, disclaiming any 
participation in the article, and the governor of the 
island demanded of the editor of the Royal Gazette 
that he should immediately retract the statement. 
This the editor, much against his will, did, but in- 
serted a foot-note in large print stating that the re- 
traction was inserted " merely as an act of gener- 
osity and a palliative for the irritated feelings of 
prisoners of war." He asserted that what he had 
said at first was correct, and declared that the de- 
ception he had referred to was planned and author- 
ized by Commodore Decatur. It is of interest to 
quote an extract from an official letter sent by the 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda to 
the editor of the Royal Gazette upon the appear- 
ance of this second article. 

The governor's secretary writes for his chief as 
follows : 

" The Editor of the Royal Gazette : 

"Your publication of Thursday imposes it upon His Excellency 
the Governor, as a duty to himself, to Captain Hope, and to the 
British nation, and in common justice to Commodore Decatur, who 
is not present to defend himself from the aspersions that you have 
cast upon him, not to admit of such a document standing uncon- 
tradicted in a paper published under the immediate authority of 
His Majesty's government. His Excellency is thoroughly aware of 
the great importance of preserving to the utmost extent perfect 
freedom of discussion and the fullest liberty of the press in every 
part of the British dominions. Undoubtedly, therefore, nothing 
could be further from his intentions than the most distant desire to 
compel a British editor to retract a statement founded on truth ; 
15 



226 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

but when a statement is founded on falsehood, His Excellency con- 
ceives it to be incumbent on him equally, in duty to the British pub- 
lic and in support of the true character of the British press, to de- 
mand that that falsehood, whether directed against friend or foe, 
should be instantly retracted, or that the paper which thinks fit to 
disgrace its columns by persevering in error should no longer be 
distinguished by royal protection." 

Some weeks later, in an issue of March 2d, the 
following extract attracts attention in a Bermuda 
journal : 

" On Wednesday evening last Mr. Randolph, of the United States 
Navy, late of the President frigate, in company with some other 
officers of the ship, attacked the editor of the Royal Gazette in a 
most violent and unprovoked manner with a stick, while he was 
walking unarmed. The timely arrival of some British officers pre- 
vented his proceeding to further acts of violence, and, the guard 
shortly after coming up, the officer decamped, and the next morn- 
ing, we understand, he was hoisted into a boat at the crane from 
the Market Wharf and absconded. An honorable way, truly, for 
an officer to quit a place where he had been treated with civility 
and politeness." 

However, it will not do to leave the subject with- 
out quoting from a letter which the Mr. Randolph 
referred to wrote over his own signature and sent to 
the editors of the Commercial Advertiser, after his 
return to New York, in which he observes, after ref- 
erence to the Bermuda Royal Gazette, the affair of 
the stick, and the " acts of violence," as follows : 

" As soon as I read the scurrilous remarks in the Royal Gazette 
of the fifteenth ult., in relation to the capture of the late U. S. frigate 
President, I walked to the King's Square with the determination to 
chastise the editor. I soon fell in with him, and executed my pur- 
pose in the most ample and satisfactory manner. There was no 



; 



THE LOSS OF THE " PRESIDENT " 22/ 

American officer in the company except Midshipman Emmett, and 
Mr. Ward, the editor, was accompanied by Lieutenant Sammon, of 
the Royal Navy, but by neither of these officers was I interrupted 
or assisted in the operation. 

" Having previously obtained my passports, and being advised 
that the editor of the Royal Gazette was taking measures to employ 
the civil authority against me, I left the island the next day for the 
United States. 

" I am. Gentlemen, etc., etc., 

" R. B. Randolph, Midshipman, 

" Late of the U. S. frigate President" 

Upon Decatur's return to the United States he 
was treated as a hero, and received the usual ova- 
tion given to victors when they return to their na- 
tive land. The President was spoken of by her 
captors as a model of naval architecture, and her 
method of construction recommended to British 
ship-builders. 



XVII 

THE "CONSTITUTION," THE "CYANE," AND THE 

"LEVANT" 
[February 20th, 181 5] 





MEDAL I'KESENTED BV CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN CHARLES STEWART 



CHARLES STEWART was a Philadel- 
phian. He v/as born on the 28th day of 
July, 1778, shortly after the evacuation of 
the city by the British. His mother was left a widow 
when he was but two years old. Overcoming many 
hardships, Mrs. Stewart managed to support herself 
and her large family of eight children during the 
troublous times of the Revolution. At the age of 
thirteen Charles entered the merchant service as a 
cabin-boy, and speedily began to show that he had 
in him the material for making an officer. 

At the age of twenty he was in command of a 
vessel in the Indian trade, but shortly after he at- 
tained this rank he accepted a commission as lieu- 
tenant in the navy of the United States. Stewart's 
able handling of the little schooner Experiment, of 
12 guns, on several occasions brought him to the 
attention of the country, and his conduct in the 
Mediterranean won for him the praise of his supe- 
riors and the admiration of the service. He was a 
fine-looking, energetic man, who possessed a manner 
that is said to have been most fascinating; but, like 
all of his school, he was above everything else a 
fighting man. 

In the fall of the year 18 14, after the repulse of 



232 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

the British at Norfolk, Captain Stewart, who at the 
beginning of the war had been in command of the 
36-gun frigate Constellation, was given the post then 
most desired above all others in our navy — that of 
commander of " Old Ironsides." 

After undergoing some repairs in the navy-yard, 
the Constitution, with a veteran crew, sailed from 
the port of Boston and proceeded southward. For 
some time she hung about the Bermudas, waiting in 
vain for an encounter ; thence she sailed away for the 
coasts of Surinam, Berbice, and Demerara; cruised 
to windward of the island of Barbadoes, St. Vincent, 
Martinique, off St. Kitt's, St. Eustatius, Porto Rico, 
and Santa Cruz, and succeeded in capturing and 
destroying the Picton, of 16 guns; a merchant ship 
of 10 guns; the brig Catherine, 10 guns; and an 
armed schooner, the Phceriix. But no foe was seen 
that was worthy of her mettle, and it appeared that 
bad luck was in the breezes. 

At this time the Constitution must have presented 
a peculiar appearance while under way; her sails 
were the same she had carried in her cruises under 
Hull and Bainbridge, and the shot-holes made by the 
Guerriere and the Java were plain to view, like the 
honorable scars of a veteran. Patched and thread- 
bare, her canvas was in no condition to stand a blow 
or to hold the wind. In those days the Constitution 
was a marked vessel in many senses. In view of the 
reputation she had earned, there were no frigates of 
her class that appeared to seek her out, and it was 



THE " CONSTITUTION, " CYANE, AND " LEVANT 233 

not considered a disgrace to avoid a meeting with 
" the dangerous nondescript," as the British press 
had labelled her. If the fact was once ascertained 
what vessel it was that carried that high freeboard 
and those brown patched sails. His Majesty's com- 
manders generally showed a tenderness that their 
reputations would hardly lead one to expect. In the 
Mona Passage, for instance, Captain Stewart chased, 
but failed to come up with, the British frigate La 
Piqtie, and on two separate occasions he tried to 
entice the enemy to meet him by unfurling at first 
sight the enormous flag that also distinguished the 
Constitution above the other frigates in our service, 
but all to no purpose ; and in March Stewart de- 
termined to return to the United States in order to 
refit completely. But he was not to reach home 
without an adventure. 

Probably no vessel in the world had so many nar- 
row escapes from capture as had the Constit^Uion ; 
only masterly seamanship had kept her from being 
taken. 

From 181 3 to the close of the war the English 
frigates generally cruised in pairs; and off the New 
England coast, on her return voyage, the Constitu- 
iioii ran across the Junon and La Nymphe^ each of 
50 guns. She managed to outsail them by a nar- 
row margin, and arrived safely at Marblehead in the 
latter part of April. She rested in Massachusetts 
Bay for seven months, completely refitting under 
the eye of Captain Stewart himself; and in Decem- 



3^"T- 



_V 



234 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

ber she again proceeded to sea, and was then, be- 
yond doubt, the best equipped and best ordered 
vessel of her class that ever answered helm. 

Stewart shaped his course for his favorite cruis- 
ing -ground, the high seas to the eastward of the 
Bermudas, and on the 24th of the month he captured 
the English brig Lord Nelson, and took the ship 
Susan with a valuable cargo, sending the latter to 
New York. Then he bore away east, with the in- 
tention of reaching the waters in the neighborhood 
of the Madeira Islands. 

The morning of the 20th of February began with 
light breezes from the east and cloudy weather. At 
I P.M. a sail was discovered two points off the lar- 
board and three leagues or more away. The Con- 
stihition bore up at once, and made all sail in chase. 
In half an hour the stranger was seen to be a ship, 
and in a few minutes another vessel was made out 
ahead ; both were close-hauled, and about ten miles 
apart. At four o'clock it was seen that the weather- 
most ship was signalling her consort, who immedi- 
ately shortened sail and waited for her. 

For an hour the three vessels sailed on. The two 
strangers, that were closing on each other gradual- 
ly, displayed no flags ; and although at too great a 
distance to reach the nearer vessel, Stewart com- 
menced to fire with his bow guns, in the hope that 
they would display their colors ; but to no purpose. 
It was not doubted, however, that they were Eng- 
lish, and the Coristitution cleared for action. Soon 



THE "CONSTITUTION, " CYANE, AND "LEVANT" 235 

they passed within hail of one another, and, hauling 
by the wind on the starboard tack, showed that they 
were prepared to fight. 

Now commenced the usual struggle for the ad- 
vantage of the weather-gage ; but, finding that the 
Constitution could outpoint them, the British ves- 
sels gave up the attempt, and, forming in line about 
half a cable's length apart, awaited her on-coming, 
shortening sail, and evidently preparing some con- 
certed method of attack. At six Stewart shook out 
his tremendous flag, and the British ensigns climb- 
ed up in answer ; at the same moment both vessels 
gave three rousing cheers. But in grim silence the 
Constitution bore down upon them, ranged up on 
the starboard side of the sternmost, and let go her 
broadside at a distance of only three hundred yards. 
The English replied with spirit, and the cannonad- 
ing became furious. There being little wind, a 
great bank of sulphurous smoke, impenetrable as 
any fog, settled over the water on the Constitutions 
lee, and completely hid her antagonists. For three 
minutes the Constitution ceased her fire altosfether 
(the enemy having slackened also), and then Stewart 
descried the topmasts of the leader stretching above 
the rolling clouds abreast of him. He fired his 
broadside, and again the smoke swallowed her from 
sight, just as it was seen that the ship astern had 
luffed to take up a raking position on the larboard 
quarter. The superior seamanship of the American 
tars and the quality of the vessel they manned could 



236 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

not be shown better than by the manoeuvre which 
followed. Stewart braced aback his main and 
mizzen topsails, and immediately the Constitution 
gathered sternway and slid backwards through the 
smoke. What must have been the astonishment of 
Captain Gordon Falcon, the British commander, 
when he saw alongside of him the enemy that he had 
hoped, a few minutes before, to take at such a dis- 
advantage ! The foremost vessel, that had received 
the previous broadside of the Constitution, kept peg- 
ging away at a spectre in the sulphurous cloud. 

At thirty-five minutes past six the enemy's fire 
again slackened, and the headmost ship was dis- 
covered bearing up. Now the Cojistitution reversed 
her tactics, shot ahead, crossed the first vessel's 
stern and raked her fearfully, sailed about the stern- 
most and raked her also; then, ranging up within 
hail on the larboard quarter, she prepared for anoth- 
er broadside, when the last ship fired a lee gun and 
remained silent. At ten minutes of seven Stewart 
lowered his boat and took possession of His Majes- 
ty's ship Cyane, mounting 34 guns, commanded by 
Captain Gordon Falcon. The moon had risen by 
this time ; the smoke had cleared away, and it was 
seen that the other ship was trying her best to get 
away to a place of safety. Seeing this, at once the 
Constitution spread all sail in chase, and gallantly 
the smaller vessel, finding escape impossible, stood 
back close-hauled to meet her. They crossed on 
opposite tacks, and the Constitution wore immedi- 



THE "CONSTITUTION" TAKING THE " CYANE ' 



THE "CONSTITUTION," " CYANE, AND "LEVANT 237 

ately under the enemy's stern and raked her with a 
broadside. 

Again the Englishman spread all sail, and en- 
deavored to escape by running free. The Constitu- 
tion broke out her lighter sail in chase, firing well- 
directed shots from her starboard bow-chaser. At 
ten, seeing she could not escape, the English ves- 
sel fired a gun, struck her colors, and yielded. 

She proved to be His Majesty's ship the Levant^ 
mounting 21 guns, Captain George Douglass. 

Before midnicjht Stewart had manned both his 
prizes, repaired his rigging, shifted his sails, and 
had his vessel in as good condition as before the 
encounter. 

The Cyane was a ship that had made a reputation 
for herself in the war with France. She was one 
of the crack sloops of war in the English service. 
Only a year before she had engaged a French 44- 
gun frigate, and kept her at bay until help came 
in the shape of a seventy -four. Her commander 
was so crestfallen at havinor to surrender that 
when he came aboard a prisoner he hardly rec- 
ognized Stewart's courteous greetings and compli- 
ments. 

Down in the cabin of the Constitution a little, 
scene was enacted that must have been dramatic. 
Captain Douglass and Captain Falcon were treated 
as honored guests by Captain Stewart, and over 
their wine at dinner the day after the capture the 
two Englishmen indulged in a dispute, each placing 



238 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

the responsibility for the defeat upon the other's 
shoulders. 

Stewart listened without comment for some min- 
utes, and then rising, gravely said, " Gentlemen, 
there is only one way that I see to decide this ques- 
tion — to put you both on your ships again, give 
you back your crews, and try it over." 

Either the humor or the force of this remark 
must have struck each one of his late antagonists, 
for they ceased their bickering at once. 

An anecdote is related showing the spirit of the 
men on board the Coiistitution at the time. As she 
forged down upon the waiting English vessels grog 
was issued, as was customary, to the crews stand- 
ing at the guns. An old quartermaster, noting with 
anger the eagerness of the men to claim a double 
share, as there were two vessels to fight, walked down 
the deck and kicked over two buckets of the spirits 
into the scuppers, exclaiming, " Shame, messmates ; 
we need no Dutch courage on board this ship !" 

This little incident, while it might not have damp- 
ened the crew's ardor, may have accounted for the 
lack of cheers. 

It is to be noticed that the weight of shot fired 
by the British vessels was heavier than the Consti- 
tjitioiis by ninety pounds. 

In the action with the Gtierriere the Constitution 
had been hulled three times, and in that with the 
Java four times. In this engagement thirteen shots 
reached her hull. 



THE " CONSTITUTION," " CYANE," AND " LEVANT " 239 

Only one of the prizes was destined to reach the 
United States — the Cyane — and the reason for this 
makes a separate story in itself. 

After the action the vessels set sail for the island 
St. Jago, and entered the harbor of Porto Praya, 
having previously touched at one of the Cape Verd 
Islands. 

On the 12th of IMarch, as they lay at anchor under 
the guns of the neutral battery, three ships were dis- 
covered in the offing. Soon they were made out to 
be frigates, and the Constitution gave signal to get 
under way. No sooner had this happened than 
the forts on the shore commenced firing upon the 
Americans, and the British vessels hoisted the Eng- 
lish colors. The Cojistitiition and the Levant were 
standing on the wind to the southward and eastward, 
with all three of the enemy in chase. The Cyane 
bore up to the north, and shaped her course towards 
the United States. The Levant, a much slower 
sailer than the Constitution, kept falling behind, 
and Stewart saw that it would be foolishness to 
attempt to close with a force so much superior. 

He signalled Lieutenant Ballard, the prize com- 
mander of the Levant, to make back to the harbor ; 
she came about, made the entrance safely, and 
anchored in so close to the shore as to run her jib- 
boom over the Portuguese battery ; and the latter, 
as if to show her " neutrality" to the satisfaction of 
the English, cowardly fired upon her as she lay 
there, and, despite the fact that Ballard did not reply, 



240 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

but hauled down his flag, the Acasta and the New- 
castle, two of the pursuers, came in and also fired at 
her a number of times. But, as if in poetic justice for 
the action of the Portuguese, they did more harm to 
the town than to the ship. 

When the officer from the British squadron came 
on board the Levant, he advanced briskly to the 
quarter-deck, and, with no attempt to conceal his 
eagerness, exclaimed to Lieutenant Ballard, who 
there awaited him : 

" Sir, I believe I have the honor of taking the 
sword of Captain Blakeley, commander of the Amer- 
ican sloop of war the WaspT 

" No, sir," was the reply ; *' if you have an excess 
of pride in this case, you have the honor of receiv- 
ing the sword of Captain Ballard, prize commander 
of His British Majesty's ship the Levant^ 

It was evident from the crestfallen appearance of 
the Britisher that he had expected a different reply. 
To receive the sword of Blakeley would have been 
a feather in his cap. 

A strange state of things existed on board the 
Constitution as she sailed off to the west. She had 
on board no fewer than 240 prisoners, and the num- 
ber of English officers who were unwilling guests 
was double that of her own. As this was the last 
cruise of the grand old ship in the second war with 
Great Britain, a short resume of her career will be 
of interest : 

Exclusive of the merchant vessels that had been 



THE " CONSTITUTION," " CYANE," AND " LEVANT " 241 

sent back to the United States, in her actions with 
armed vessels of the English navy she had taken 154 
guns, made upwards of 900 prisoners, killed or 
wounded 298 of the enemy, and the value of the 
property captured could not be estimated at less 
than one and a half millions of dollars. 

The strange discrepancy which existed between 
the loss of life on board of her and her antagonists 
is to be noted. In her action with the Cyane and 
the Lev an I she lost 3 killed and 13 wounded, while 
the killed and wounded on board her opponents, so 
far as could be ascertained, were yj. 

Another interesting fact is that she has been in 
commission within the last twelve years, and only 
a few years ago she again breasted the waves, and 
was towed from the capes of the Delaware to her 
final resting-place in Massachusetts Bay. 



XVIII 

THE "HORNET" AND THE "PENGUIN" 
[March 23d, 1815] 





MEDAL PRESKNTED BY CONGRESS TO 
CAPTAIN JAMES BIDDLE 



LIEUTENANT JAMES BIDDLE had dis- 
tinguished himself in the Mediterranean in 
the war with the Barbary pirates, having 
been one of the officers captured with Captain Bain- 
bridge on board the Philadelphia, and being, with 
Bainbridge, held prisoner during those historic 
months of captivity in Tripoli. Biddle was a young 
man of much determination, and his career as a 
junior officer was full of adventure and the success- 
ful overcoming of hardships. On the outbreak of 
the war of 1812 he sought every opportunity to be 
in the thick of it, neglecting no chance to distin- 
guish himself or to add lustre to his name. 

In the action between the Wasp and His British 
Majesty's sloop of war the Frolic, Biddle proved 
himself to have the proper spirit of a leader, and 
both he and Captain Jones were honored by Con- 
gress and the country after their short sojourn in an 
English prison ; for it must be remembered that the 
Wasp and her prize were taken, within a few hours 
after their engagement, by a British seventy-four, 
the Poictiers. 

Upon his return to the United States Biddle was 
promoted to the rank of captain, and at this time 
Captain James Lawrence, in consequence of his own. 



246 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

promotion, had just left the sloop of war Hornet^ 
which, under him, had fought so bravely and so fort- 
unately in the southern seas. Captain Biddle 
asked for the command of the Honiet immediately 
upon Lawrence's leaving her — she was then lying in 
New York Harbor. His request was granted, and 
orders were given him to join his vessel with the 
frigate Chesapeake, then at Boston nearly ready for 
a cruise. But he and the brave Lawrence were 
never to make a voyage in company. News trav- 
elled slowly in those days, and young Captain Bid- 
die went on with his preparations, sailing at last 
without hearing of the sad fate of his superior. 

By the capture of the Chesapeake, however, all 
the sisfnals and orders had fallen into the hands 
of the enemy. Immediately a frigate and several 
smaller vessels were sent out by the British to inter- 
cept the Hornet. 

Captain Biddle had weighed anchor not alone, 
however, but in company with the frigates United 
States and Macedonian, going from New York 
through the Sound, as there was then a large Brit- 
ish blockading force off Sandy Hook. The little 
American squadron was under the command of 
Commodore Decatur. 

On the first day of June, within sight of Montauk 
Point, the three Yankee vessels were met by a 
larger and heavier force of the enemy. Decatur 
put back into the Sound and entered New London 
Harbor, closely pursued by the British, a ship of the 



THE "HORNET AND THE "PENGUIN 247 

line leading. In this chase the Hornet, being deep- 
laden and consequently slow, was nearly overtaken, 
being fired at by the two headmost ships at quite 
near range. The American vessels, going through 
Fisher's Island Sound, proceeded up the river 
Thames, and were moored across it, stem to stern, 
in order the better to defend themselves. 

A long and tedious blockade now began, and 
Biddle's anxious spirit and courageous disposition 
fretted under the confinement. It was his first com- 
mand; he was extremely anxious to measure his 
strength with an enemy whose force was equal to 
his own, and he tried again and again to obtain 
permission to make an attempt to elude the British 
squadron at the mouth of the river; but in this he 
failed, Decatur, his senior, forbidding him to risk 
the venture. For six long months no move was 
made by either side, although alarms were frequent. 

Early in January, 1814, the blockading forces at 
New London were the Ramillies (74), Commodore 
Sir Thomas Hardy; the ^;2//v^?22*<?;2. Captain Hope; 
and the Statira, frigate, Captain Stackpole. There 
were also one or two smaller armed vessels within 
call. Upon one occasion an American prisoner of 
war, who was about to be landed at New London in 
exchange, was present during a conversation among 
the English officers, who, tired of acting as jailers, 
were anxious for a conflict. Upon landing he re- 
ported what he had heard to the Americans, and 
Captain Biddle, under a flag of truce, obtained an 



248 



NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 



interview with Sir Thomas Hardy on board the 
Ramillies. He did his best to secure a meeting 
between the two frio^ates United States and the 
Macedonian on one side, and the Endymion and the 
Statira on the other. 

Sir Thomas, after thinking the matter over, de- 
clined the meeting between the Endymion and the 
United States on account of the difference in force ; 
the captain of the Statira did not wish to try it 
alone, and so the meeting fell through. And what a 
strange comment upon the pomp and circumstance 
of war ! Biddle was so anxious himself to fight, and 
so trusted in the honor of the enemy, that, hearing 
that a British corvette was shortly to join the sta- 
tion, he would have sailed out through the hostile 
fleet in the Hornet to meet her all alone. It was 
the Loup-Cervier that was soon expected to arrive ; 
this vessel had once been the tidy American sloop 
of war the Wasp, and Biddle had been second in 
command of her. Now, however, she was under a 
Captain Mends, and flew, instead of the "sailors' 
rights," the cross of St. George. However, after 
some correspondence, the meeting was given up, 
much to Biddle's chagrin, and the rechristened 
Loup-Cervier sailed out to sea after delivering de- 
spatches. 

All through the winter a close blockade of New 
London was kept up, and it was found impossible 
to make any escape. At last the government or- 
dered the two American frigates to be moved up 



THE " HORNET AND THE " PENGUIN 249 

the Thames as far as possible, and there they were 
dismantled. The officers and crew were transferred 
to other cities, while Captain Biddle was ordered to 
continue at New London for the protection of the 
shipping. In vain he protested against this hope- 
less and mortifying situation. The enemy made no 
serious preparations for trying to take the force up 
the river, and at last Biddle succeeded in obtain- 
ing permission to try to sail through the British 
fleet. Leaving the United States and the Mace- 
donian protected by land batteries, he placed the 
Hornet in the best of trim, and on the night of the 
1 8th of November, undiscovered, he drifted past the 
guard-ships and arrived safely at New York. It 
was seventeen months since he had been free. 

Biddle was immediately attached, with his ship, 
to the command of Commodore Decatur again, 
and was ordered for a cruise to the East Indies. 
The frigate President, the flag-ship of the little 
squadron, went to sea on the 14th of January, 181 5, 
and from the outset was pursued by the worst 
of misfortunes, that included shipwreck and final 
capture. On the 23d of January — not knowing 
of the loss of the President — the Peacock, the Hor- 
net, and a store-vessel went out to sea in a gale 
of wind. Three days afterwards they separated, 
and, hearing of the President' s fate from a mer- 
chantman, set out for themselves. Late in March, 
Biddle anchored near the headlands of Tristan 
d'Acunha, and on the 23d of the month, off the 



250 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

island, a sail was discovered to the southward and 
eastward. The Hornet, ever on the alert, raised 
anchor and bore up before the wind. When within 
five miles Biddle shortened sail and waited for the 
stranger to come down to him. It is quite amusing 
to think that the idea that was uppermost in the 
mind of the British commander (for it was H. M. S. 
Penguin, a heavily armed brig, that the Hornet had 
sighted) was this : that if the American saw who it 
was and how formidable was his ship, he would es- 
cape. So the Englishman concealed his identity as 
much as possible by clumsily taking in his sail to 
encourage Biddle to wait for him, carefully keeping 
bow on to the Hornet to hide his strength. Biddle, 
not understanding his intention, and the idea of run- 
ning away being the last thing in the world for him 
to think about, was puzzled. He wore ship three 
times, trying to get the other to haul by the wind 
and to show his broadside, but without success. As 
the enemy approached nearly within musket-shot, 
the Englishman at last hauled on the starboard tack 
and hoisted his colors, firing a challenging gun. 
Biddle immediately luffed, flew his ensign, and gave 
the enemy a broadside. It was then about forty 
minutes past one. The action became brisk, and 
in fifteen minutes the Englishman came down 
again, bow foremost, as if he would fall on board 
the Hornet. Orders were given to prepare to re- 
pel the expected boarders, but the men could 
scarcely be restrained from tumbling over the 



THE "hornet" and THE "PENGUIN 2$ I 

bov/ of the Penguin as her jib-boom crossed the 
Hornet's taffrail. 

There was a considerable swell, the sea lifted 
the Hor7iet ahead, and the bowsprit of the enemy 
(her men had displayed no intention of boarding) 
carried away the mizzen-shrouds and swept the side. 
Just then an oflficer bravely stood upon the bulwarks 
of the English brig, and at the risk of his life shouted 
out that he had surrendered. He was Lieutenant 
McDonald, the Penguhis first lieutenant. At this 
moment the enemy was swinging clear, Biddle was 
prepared to give him another broadside, and with 
difficulty could he restrain his crew, as the Penguin 
certainly had fired after Lieutenant McDonald had 
said he had surrendered. One of the last shots had 
struck Captain Biddle, wounding him severely in the 
neck. In fact, throughout the action he was almost 
unrecognizable, because of wounds which he had re- 
ceived from splinters in his face. Several times his 
men had asked him to go below. 

It was exactly twenty-two minutes from the be- 
ginning of the action to the time when the Penguin 
was boarded by a boat from the Hornet. The for- 
mer vessel proved to be one of the strongest ves- 
sels of her class, mounting i6 32-pound carronades, 
2 long sixes, and a 12-pound carronade on her top- 
gallant forecastle, with swivels on the capstan and 
in the tops ; she had a spare port forward so as 
to fire both of her Ions: gruns on a side. When she 
had sailed from England on the ist of September 



2 52 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

she was manned by a picked crew, that was after- 
wards reinforced by marines taken from the Medway, 
a seventy-four. Out of one hundred and thirty-two 
persons that formed her crew she lost fourteen killed 
and twenty-eight wounded, among the latter number 
being her commander, Captain Dickinson. Not a 
sinsle round shot struck the hull of the Hornet, but 
her sides were filled with grape and her sails and 
riorains much cut. She had but one man killed and 
eleven wounded. The Penguin was so badly rid- 
dled that she sank, it not being worth the while to 
attempt to save her. But the Hornet, after obtain- 
ing a new set of sails, was ready for service without 
going home for repairs or refitting. The English 
journals, in commenting on this fact, advocated 
strongly the adoption of the American system of 
gunnery instruction, to which a Baltimore paper re- 
plied that the only thing they (the British) needed 
to be taught was " to shoot Yankee fashion — viz., 
straighter and more often." 



THE "PENGUIN" STRIKES TO THE "HORNET 



ii 



XIX 

THE ESCAPE OF THE "HORNET" 
[April 29th, 1815] 



ALTHOUGH the treaty of peace between 
England and the United States was con- 
cluded at Ghent on November 24th, in the 
year 1814, hostilities continued even after the sig7i- 
ing of the document that took place a month later 
to a day. 

This can be well understood when we stop to 
think that at the best rates of travelling it would 
take in the neighborhood of three weeks, or possi- 
bly four, for the news to reach the United States. 

The battle of New Orleans, so disastrous to the 
English arms, would never have taken place if there 
had been such a thing as a cable in those days. 
Nor would there have occurred several smart ac- 
tions at sea, including, sad to relate, the capture of 
the U. S. S. President by a British squadron. 

There is no excuse, however, for the long de- 
tention of American prisoners in the hands of the 
British, when there was no longer any chance of 
their serving against her. 

On February 17th President Madison ratified the 
Treaty of Ghent, and hostilities practically ceased, 
although, of course, not knowing this fact. Captain 
Stewart, in command of the Constitution^ captured 
the Cyane and the Levant, two British sloops of war. 



256 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

And on the 23d of March, on a foreign station, the 
gallant Captain Biddle, in command of the Hornet^ 
captured and sank the Pejzguin. 

But even so long past the time when the news 
might have been expected to be about the world, 
on April 27th, i8i5,o£f the Island of San Salvador, 
the sloop of war Hornet had the last hostile experi- 
ence with the English of that eventful period. The 
little sloop was sailing in company with the Peacock, 
and together they made a pair of fighters that were 
not afraid of anything that carried in the neighbor- 
hood of their weight of metal. 

In a letter from Biddle, the senior captain, to 
Stephen Decatur appears the following : " The Pea- 
cock and this ship, having continued off Tristan 
d'Acunha the number of days directed by you in your 
letter of instruction, proceeded in company to the 
eastward on the twelfth day of April, bound to the 
second place of rendezvous. Nothing of any impor- 
tance occurred until the twenty-second day of April at 
7 A.M., in latitude 38° 30' and longitude 33' east. The 
wind was from northeast by north and light through 
the day, and by sundown we had neared the chase 
considerably. It was calm during the day, and at 
daylight on the 28th he [Warrington of the Peacock'\ 
was not in sight. A breeze springing from the 
northwest, we crowded steering sails on both sides, 
and the chase was made out standing to the north- 
ward upon a wind. At 2.45 p.m. the Peacock was 
about six miles ahead of this ship, and, observing 



THE ESCAPE OF THE "HORNET 257 

that she appeared to be suspicious of the chase, I 
took in starboard steering-sails and hauled up for 
the Peacock. I was still, however, of opinion that 
the chase was an Indiaman, though, indeed, the at- 
mosphere was quite smoky and indistinct, and I con- 
cluded she was very large. Captain Warrington was 
waiting for me to join him, that we might get to- 
gether alongside of her. At 3.22 p.m. the Peacock 
made the signal that the chase was a ship of the line 
and an enemy. I took in immediately all steering- 
sails and hauled upon the wind, the enemy being 
then upon our lee quarter, distant about eight miles. 
By sundown I had perceived that the enemy sailed 
remarkably fast and was very weatherly." . . . 

This letter was dated from San Salvador, June 
loth, 18 1 5. 

It had been very calm on the morning of the 28th 
when the great ship had been sighted which, as 
Biddle has recorded, every one took to be a large 
East-Indiaman. As the Peacock was in advance and 
to the windward of the stranger, it was feared by 
the crew of the Hornet that she would be first to 
place herself alongside and secure the rich prize. 
According to the private journal of one of the offi- 
cers on the Hornet^ they had already begun in their 
imagination to divide the contents of the vessel they 
expected to capture among them. If she came 
from the Indies, the sailors declared that they would 
carpet the berth-deck with costly rugs ; while if 
she hailed from England and was on an outward 
17 



258 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

voyage, the officers revelled in the idea of what her 
larder might contain ; the probable value of her car- 
go was estimated carefully. 

The Hornet was crowding on all sail in order to 
draw up before the Peacock should have had the 
best of the picking. Captain Biddle was on deck 
with his glass in hand watching the Peacock, when 
suddenly he saw her swing about (she was well to 
windward), and fly a signal telling that the big 
vessel was a ship of the line. The Peacock was a 
faster sailer than the Hornet, as the latter sat deep 
in the water, and, owing to the weight of metal she 
carried, was slow in stays. But it was evident, by 
six o'clock in the evening, three hours after War- 
rington had signalled Biddle to beware of approach- 
ing nearer, that the big fellow had turned the ta- 
bles and was evidently the pursuer, with the inten- 
tion of running down the Hornet. Every minute 
the sails rose higher and higher above the horizon 
until the great hull was in plain view. She weath- 
ered the little Hornet, and it was seen that at the 
rate of progress the two were making the seventy- 
four would be within gunshot sometime during the 
night. 

Immediately the wedges of the lower masts were 
loosened, and at nine o'clock orders were given to 
lighten ship as much as possible. The sheet-anchor 
was cut away and hove overboard, and all of the 
cable followed it. Then the spare rigging and spars 
were put over the side, and before ten o'clock they 



THE ESCAPE OF THE "HORNET 259 

scuttled the wardroom-deck and hove overboard 
about fifty tons of the kentledge. 

It was a bright night, with all the stars shining, 
and there was no use disguising the matter : the Hor- 
net was continually dropping back. The seventy- 
four fired a gun and signalled, but Biddle did not 
respond. Like Hull, who brought the Constitution 
successfully away from a superior force, by pluck 
and attention to duty, knowledge and seamanship, 
he determined to leave nothing untried that would 
tend to increase the rate of his vessel's sailing. 

At two in the morning the Hornet tacked to the 
southward and westward, and immediately the enemy 
astern did likewise. At daylight the line-of-battle 
ship was within gunshot on the Horjtefs lee quarter. 
At seven in the morning the English colors were 
displayed at the peak of the Britisher, and a rear- 
admiral's flag was flown at his mizzen-topgallant 
mast-head. At the sam.e time he began firing from 
his bow guns — it must be assumed more as an im- 
perious order for the Hornet to show her colors and 
heave to than with an idea of crippling her, for the 
shot overreached her about a mile. 

Biddle paid no attention at all, but having as- 
certained that the lightening of his ship made her 
much faster, he went at it again, cutting away the 
remaining anchors, and letting every foot of cable 
go overboard. Then he broke up the launch and 
left the debris in the wake. Even the provisions 
were broken into, and barrels of salt-horse and bread 



26o NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF l8l2 

thrown out upon the waters. Then more kentledge 
followed, and, tapping the magazines, he threw over 
all but a dozen or so of round shot. Then over went 
the capstan, which was no easy job, and they began 
on the guns ; one after another they plashed over- 
board. All this time the Corjtwallis, the great sev- 
enty-four, kept up a continual firing, to which no 
reply was made. In fact, for four hours the Eng- 
lish gunners displayed the worst marksmanship on 
record, for their shot continually went ahead of and 
all around the Hornet without once striking her, 
although several passed between her masts. 

At eleven the breeze began to freshen, and the 
seventy-four commenced to creep up slowly, and then 
gain all at once in a manner which caused Biddle to 
believe that the Englishman had made alterations in 
his trim. By noon the wind had shifted slightly, and 
was squally, with fresh breezes from the westward. 
It was Sunday, the 30th, but there was no service 
held. Gloom was everywhere throughout the Amer- 
ican vessel : staring them in the face were appar- 
ently inevitable capture and the frightful confine- 
ment in an English prison. Many of the crew had 
already been impressed and had served in the English 
navy, escaping from time to time, and the idea of 
being held as deserters — deserters to a country that 
was not theirs — gave cause for much unhappiness. 
At I P.M. the Cornwallis was so close that her 
commander began to fire by divisions, and once 
let go his entire broadside loaded with round and 



THE " CORNWALLIS " GAINING ON THE " HORNET 




i-^ 



-.4 

t 

I 



THE ESCAPE OF THE "HORNET" 261 

grape. But, as is recorded in the journal, " the for- 
mer passed between our masts and the latter fell 
all around us. The enemy fired shells, but they 
were so ill directed as to be perfectly harmless." 
And now began what looked to be a work of de- 
struction, and which was intended as such, no doubt. 
Biddle determined that if he were taken there would 
be very little for the enemy to show as trophy. 
Overboard went all the muskets, cutlasses, and iron- 
work. The bell was broken up, and the topgallant 
forecastle was chopped to pieces. All this time 
only three-quarters of a mile on the lee quarter was 
the great ship of the line pouring in a constant 
storm of shot and shell. The Yankee tars trimmed 
ship by massing themselves against the rail, after 
the fashion of a yacht's crew. 

At four o'clock a shot from the enemy struck the 
jib-boom, and another caught the starboard bulwark 
just forward of the gangway. A third smashed on 
the deck forward of the main-hatch, and, glancing up, 
passed through the foresail. It struck immediate- 
ly over the head of a wounded Yankee sailor who 
had been hurt in the action with the Pengiiin; the 
splinters were scattered all around the invalid, and a 
small paper flag, the American ensign, that he had 
hoisted over his cot, was struck down. But imme- 
diately he lifted it up and waved it about his head. 
In fact, to quote again from the entry in the journal, 
" Destruction stared us in the face if we did not sur- 
render, yet no officer, no man in the ship, showed 



262 NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1 8 12 

any disposition to let the enemy have the poor little 
Hornetr 

Captain Biddle mustered the crew, and told them 
that, as they might soon be captured, he hoped to 
perceive that propriety of conduct that had dis- 
tinguished them, and that he was pleased at being 
their commander. But now, as if by a miracle, the 
Hornet began to gain. The wind blew more aft, 
and by five the enemy's shot fell short. Biddle had 
not replied even with his stern-chaser to all this 
cannonading, for he had noticed that the other's fir- 
ing hampered her sailing. At half-past five the crew 
broke out into a cheer, for the Cornwallis was drop- 
ping behind, slowly, but surely. Now Biddle showed 
his colors, and so fast did the Hornet pick up, with 
the wind in her favorite quarter for good going, that 
a few minutes after six the enemy was hull down. 
All nisht Ions: the distance between the two in- 
creased, and at daylight the Cornwallis was fifteen 
miles behind. At nine o'clock she shortened sail, 
hauled upon the wind to the eastward, and gave up, 
after a chase of forty-two hours. 

A remarkable circumstance of this affair is that, 
owinsf to the variableness of the wind, the Hornet 
had made a perfect circle around the battle-ship. 

The relief occasioned to all by the escape was 
vented in cheering, and, extra grog being passed, the 
men were in extremely good temper, despite the 
fact of their precarious condition, for they were on 
the high seas with no guns, no boats, no anchors. 



Hay 



^7m9 



4 



THE ESCAPE OF THE "HORNET" 263 

and short of provisions. They had packed up all 
their things, thinking that they would soon have to 
go on board the enemy as prisoners, but now, joy- 
fully, they returned them to their places. 

In the fine writing of the period that every per- 
son who touched pen and ink seemed prone to, the 
author of the journal says : " This was truly a glorious 
victory over the horrors of banishment and the 
terrors of a British floating dungeon. Quick as 
thought, every face was changed from the gloom of 
despair to the highest smile of delight, and we be- 
gan once more to breathe the sweets of liberty. 
The bitter sighs of regret were now changed." 

Biddle asked and obtained a court of inquiry to 
investigate the matter of his throwing overboard al- 
most everything but the skin of his vessel, and on 
the 23d of August, 1 81 5, by order of the Secre- 
tary of the Navy, court was convened on board the 
Hornet, and the following opinion was pronounced : 
" The court, after mature deliberation on the testi- 
mony adduced, are of opinion that no blame is im- 
putable to Captain Biddle on account of the return 
of the Hornet into port with the loss of her arma- 
ment, stores, etc., and that the greatest applause is 
due to him for his persevering gallantry and nauti- 
cal skill, evinced in escaping, under the most disad- 
vantageous circumstance, after a long and arduous 
chase by a British line-of-battle ship." 

The Cornwallis fired the last gunshot of the war 
of 1812. 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 



FOR KING OR COUNTRY. A Story of the Amer- 
ican Revolution. Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, $1 50. 

A story that will be eagerly welcomed by boys of all 
ages. ... It is doubtful whether the reader will be con- 
tent to lay the story aside until be has finished it. It is 
a good book for an idle day in the country, and we cor- 
dially recommend it both to boys on a holiday and to 
boys that stay at home. — Saturday Evening Gazette, 
Boston. 

A spiiited story of the days that tried men's souls, full 
of incident and movement that keep up the reader's 
interest to the turning of the last page. It is full of 
dramatic situations and graphic descriptions which irre- 
sistibly lead the reader on, regretful at the close that 
there is not still more of it. — Christian IVork, N. Y. 

A fascinating study. It is replete with those Homeric 
touches which delight the heart of the healthy boy. . . . 
It would be difficult to find a more fascinating book for 
the young. — Philadelf'hia Bulletin. 

A capital story for boys, both young and old ; full of 
adventure and movement, thoroughly patriotic in tone, 
throwing luminous sidelights upon the main events of 
the Revolution. — Brooklyn Standard-Union. 



PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. 



